


What's Broken Inside

by heyitskarma



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:53:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 35,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26088241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyitskarma/pseuds/heyitskarma
Summary: Adelina Howlett has been broken for so long. She can't overcome the pain and sorrow that threaten to consume her. In a quest to free herself of the consuming darkness in her life she makes the journey to Mystic Falls, where her visions tell her she'll find what she so desperately craves. Will she find what it is she's looking for? Or will she finally succumb to the darkness within?
Relationships: Damon Salvatore/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I've finally decided to broaden my horizons and post on AO3 and Wattpad instead of just Fanfiction.Net. Let me know what you think with a comment. If you do enjoy the story, please do bookmark, leave kudos, subscribe, and share.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've finally decided to broaden my horizons and add my story to AO3 and Wattpad. If you want to check it out at FanFiction.Net, my user is the same as the one on this site. Please do leave a comment to let me know your thoughts. If you do enjoy the story, please bookmark, leave kudos, and share the story with people on the site.

Prologue

Cassian Howlett struggled against the nightshade coursing through his veins, fighting against the rogue vampire assailants that had invaded his home. His mind fluttered to the closet a few feet away, where his reason for existence was carefully hidden. A red-headed, violet-eyed little girl, the spitting image of her mother. His precious daughter.

How had this happened? First, his beloved wife, leaving him to care for their beautiful little girl, with gifts inherited from both her talented parents. How could he have not been able to help his dear wife, Zoriayah? Despite being neither vampire nor werewolf, he had gifts that were as noteworthy as those in possession of his wife. He was a human mutant, damn it! With a set of 3 sharpened bone claws that retract from each hand. Not only that, but he also had a strong set of feral senses. These feral senses included enhanced sight, smell, and hearing. He could communicate with and befriend animals around him His life was extended in longevity due to his uncharted healing capabilities, leaving him potentially immortal. His only weakness was nightshade, a weakness kept secret to everyone except Zoriayah and Adelina. He had almost all the power one could ever need. So then why was he so powerless to make his wife stay?

3 years ago, Cassian lost his wife. But he couldn't bear to lose his daughter, even at the risk of his own life. So when the rogue vampires invaded the home he and his family built together, he didn't hesitate to give them his all. He would not let them touch a hair on her head. He would die first.

Adelina Bellona Howlett had many gifts. But being able to endure watching her father fight to the death wasn't one of them. She wanted desperately to climb out from her hiding spot in the closet and help her father stave off the unwelcome intruders. But she had made a promise to her father, to stay safe in the closet until he said it was okay to come out from hiding. So she reluctantly waited as she watched her father weaken due to the lethal injection of nightshade he had received from the rogue vampires. How did they even learn his carefully guarded secret? She couldn't help but blame herself for the whole situation. If she had only told her father sooner of her frightening vision. If she had only trained herself harder for this possibility. If she had only stopped her mother from leaving them. If only she had done something this wouldn't have been happening right now. They could have escaped without a moment's notice or vanquished the supernatural threat from their home. But that wasn't to be the case. So there she sat, gazing through the panelled door of her closet. Watching as her father fell victim to the vampires' attack.

Adelina watched as Cassian fell to the ground, and the vampires won. They left with their super speed, leaving no trace except their barely detectable scent and fading cruel cackles of glee. Adelina rushed out of the closet and gathered her father in her warm embrace, tears streaming down her face in torrents.

"Daddy, please...get up!"

"Mi Adelinetta, I am so sorry..."

"Please Daddy, don't leave me!"

"...so sorry."

With that, Cassian took his last breath and died in Adelina's arms, the light fading from his stormy grey orbs. Heartbroken sobs racked the poor girl's frame as she let out screams of agony and grief. Her pleas for him to wake up fell on the now deaf ears of her father's broken body, never to hear another whimper.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

8 Years Later

"You can't just leave! It's insane, Adelina!"

Adelina sighed as she listened to her best friend protest her decision. If she was completely honest with herself, she wasn't surprised by Xander's reaction. Which was why she was only springing this on him now. Had Xander any inkling of her choice beforehand, he would've tried his damnedest to dissuade her. Not that he wasn't going to try now, but it meant that there was less time or likelihood for him to succeed. So Adelina absorbed the protests and deflected the pressure to concede defeat as best as she could.

"Xander, it doesn't matter how insane you think this is. What matters is that it's my choice, which is something you're gonna have to accept," Adelina firmly stated.

"I don't care, all I know is that this is a bad idea. I don't understand, why this? Why now?" pressed a confused Xander.

"It's something I need to do. I need to do this...for...for me. I owe it to myself."

"You may owe it to yourself to find her, but not now. It's too soon, you've just fricken started recovering after you lost…"

"That doesn't change anything," Adelina cut him off, unable to hear the unbearable truth of her loss, "in fact, it gives me all the more reason to find her. To not let this...this grief consume me. I can't let myself think about it, I won't."

"That's even worse, Adelina! You can't just fucking push away the pain and think it'll go away. You need to confront it, let it wash over you, grieve. Avoid it, and you'll end up facing it later after you've let it fester and intensify in greater magnitude. You can't put a Band-Aid on a bullet hole and just expect it to heal! Don't delude yourself!" he persisted, grasping her by the shoulders as if to shake some sense into her.

"I'm not deluding myself into believing the pain will go away. In fact, I can still feel it, no matter what I do. I'm just choosing to leave dealing with my grief for a later date. I know I can't escape it, no matter how far I run. After all, pain is an old friend."

She was telling the truth, of course. She was under no blissful illusion that she could banish her grief...her pain. She had suffered more than enough to believe otherwise. It didn't matter to her when she let it crash over. Life, for her, was interchangeable with darkness. The pain was just one of its many attributes. No matter what she did, the darkness was always there waiting. No distance or therapy would make it fade away. Hell, wasn't there a damn quote about it? "Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first and is waiting for it." Yep, the quote was the perfect analogy to describe her life.

"The visions have started again, haven't they? And they're only getting worse, which is why you're doing this now." Xander realized, his cerulean eyes wide from the sudden clarity of his friend's true motives.

Adelina tumbled from her internal musings at the shock of Xander's astute deduction. Her mouth opened to deny the accusation, but no words came out. She watched Xander as he raked his hand through his raven locks in frustration, pacing in front of her once her silence confirmed his suspicions. Xander Ambrose had always been able to see through her. He had always been able to see through her smoke and mirrors. They had been close since childhood, long before her mother left, before the darkness had settled over her like a fog. Their friendship had bloomed in spite of the fact that he had 3 years on her in age when she met him as a 4-year-old. After she was able to leave the foster care system, she moved into his modest yet cozy two-bedroom apartment. Sure, she could've just lived in her spacious house as she held the deed to it, but it was too painful to be reminded of her father's brutal demise, which seemed to be the case every waking moment she spent in that house. Xander was the only one she allowed behind her walls. He was the only one who knew of all her secrets, all the horrors she had experienced, as he was there by her side for most of it. Although he knew all this, he would never truly be able to empathize with or even comprehend the full extent of her agony and sorrow that held her soul prisoner in its tendrils. For this small relief, Adelina was eternally grateful.

"How long has it been since they started? Since when have you been planning this, Adelina?" demanded a wary Xander, fearing he already knew the answer.

"Right before I got out of...that place, that's when they started. I've been planning this almost as soon as I left. That's why I've been tinkering with…with Daddy's old '69 Mustang. I needed it to be fully functioning for what I need it for."

"What about all that money you withdrew from the bank? Where the fuck did you even get that from? What's it even for?"

"Daddy and Mama had accumulated an unfathomable amount of wealth over the years, even after settling here in Canada. Especially Mama, what with all the time she'd spent walking this Earth. Not that you don't already know that. I finally gained access to some of their offshore accounts once I turned 18 over six months ago. I won't get access to the rest of them until I'm 21, so for now, I'm going to have to make do with what I have at the moment. I'll need it on the road, once I've left."

"On the road? So you don't even know where to start? How is any of this shit logical?"

"Don't worry Xander, I know where to start. If the damn visions are good for anything, it's that. I'm doing this, no matter what you do to dissuade me."

"Fine, I know I can't stop you," Xander conceded, "but that doesn't mean I can't follow you. If I can't beat you, I might as well join you."

"Are you serious? There is no way I'm letting you follow me. I can't lose you, too. Not after…" she broke off as she choked back a sob.

"You will never lose me, Nia," he cooed as he cupped her face, "and I will never lose you, either. I won't, which is why I'm coming with you."

"Fine, but the minute it gets dangerous, you're on the first flight or train back home to Golden! I don't care what happens, I'll glue your ass to the seat of whatever transport that'll get you out of the danger zone." she relented.

"Hopefully it won't come to that. If it does, however, you're welcome to try, darling," he smirked.

Adelina rolled her glassy eyes at his remark. As she negotiated with Xander about the terms and conditions of his involvement in this venture, she devised a plan to get away without Xander catching wind of her trail. She knew she couldn't let him tag along on her...quest. It was too dangerous. She wouldn't lose anyone else due to her own status as being the universe's scapegoat. But for now, she allowed Xander to revel in the triumph of making her concede. They went to bed, his heart soaring with relief whilst hers was heavy with the knowledge that she had deceived the only person she trusted. He was the only loved one she had left, so it made the burden a little easier to carry knowing that it would keep Xander safe.

Once she'd heard Xander's even breathing of deep sleep through the thin wall that separated their rooms, she crept out of bed with her duffel bag. She had already stocked the Mustang with anything else she would need, including the wads of cash. She was about to open the front door when she spotted a blank sheet of paper on the coffee table in the living room. Sighing, Adelina set down her duffel bag and scrounged the living room for a pen or pencil. Finding one, she sat down on the faded leather of Xander's couch in front of the coffee table. The words poured from her heart onto the page, along with a few teardrops, blotting some of the ink. Once she finished her letter, she skimmed over the finished result.

_Xander,_

_Chances are that if you're reading this, you're absolutely incensed. I can't blame you. As much as you may believe I've made the wrong choice in leaving you behind, deep down you have to know that this is something I have to do on my own. This is my fight, and I'm not letting you get caught in the crossfire. You're all I have left, and I love you too much to risk your life. If you were here in this situation, standing in my shoes, I know you'd do the same._

_I can't stop you from trying to hunt me down, but I can make sure you know what odds you're up against. I've already taken the liberty of stalling your car (don't worry, it's nothing a visit from the local mechanic won't fix since I'm not there to fix it for you) should you attempt to get on my tail, I'm not going to be using any credit cards for you to track, and I've got no cell phone on me. You can't open a missing persons case since I'm not technically missing if I'm doing this of my own free will, though you're welcome to try. I've left you some cash to cover my part of the rent for the next 3 months, so you don't have to worry about that._

_I'm sorry it had to come to this, I truly am. It wounds me deeply to leave behind the one person I have left to love. But I have to find her. If I believe anything from my visions, it's that. There's nothing you could have done to stop me, we both know how stubborn I can be. I hope we cross paths again, but if it's not in our cards, then know this. You have been the only constant in my life, other than the pain. For that, I'm eternally grateful. I hope you know that no matter where I am, I'll always remember you. I've left the keys to my house to you, should you decide to live there. If not, just watch over it for me. Maybe someday I'll return after all this is over. Until then, I bid you farewell._

_All my love,_

_Adelina B. Howlett_

Satisfied with her letter, Adelina set it down on the coffee table, knowing Xander would easily find it there in the morning hours. Wiping the last of her tears, she picked up the duffel bag and exited the front door, locking it behind her for what may be the last time. Once exiting the building, she headed down a few blocks before she hailed a cab. The cab took her to the outskirts of Golden, where her childhood home was situated.

The house was indeed spacious and would be better referred to as a manor of some sort. Not only was it large, but it also came with a vast amount of unused land as part of the rural property. In spite of all the space, it was packed tightly with the memories of her childhood. She set her gaze on it for a few moments, letting herself be overcome with the bittersweet nostalgia of her childhood. She relished in the feeling for as long as she could, before her pain overwhelmed the nostalgia.

Turning her attention away from the house, she walked up the driveway to her father's most prized material possession, his winter blue '69 Ford Mustang. Technically, it was Adelina's now, but she digressed. After loading up the duffel bag into the trunk with the rest of her belongings, Adelina settled herself into the driver's seat and put the car into gear. She didn't realize she had left the boundaries of town until she had started to near the American border. Pulling out her map, she singled out the destination she had in mind. If the cryptic visions were accurate, and they usually were, she was going to find her answers once she got there. Truly relaxing for the first time since she left Xander's apartment, she sank further into her seat. Adelina turned on the radio, cranking up the volume once she'd found her favourite station, knowing that it was going to be a very long drive to Mystic Falls, Virginia.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_A crow cawed from a short distance. The mist swirled all around her, like a pale, smoky twister. She stepped through it cautiously, trying to find her bearings. Adelina was lost in the mist. Feeling herself growing anxious, she broke into a gradual sprint. She needed to find a way out, but how? Suddenly, she felt the most subtle wisp of a breeze in the otherwise stagnant air graze her face. She turned to the sound of… a chuckle?_

_Someone was nearby, she could scent them. She turned in the direction of where the chuckle had come from, trying to track it down to its couldn't see past the thick fog in front of her, not far at least. Although she couldn't see through the mist, she could sense a presence… and it was getting stronger. Suddenly, she spun around to confront a face. The mist had completely dissipated, and all she could do was gaze deep into the beautiful cerulean orbs in front of her..._

Adelina awoke with a gasp, hitting her head on the top of her father's… well, now her Mustang. The orbs from her dream enthralled her. Was it a vision or just a dream? She couldn't tell, but those eyes. Those eyes looked so much like Xander's… yet… they seemed to have so much pain and darkness to them, so much…

Adelina shook her head, trying to gather her wits. _It could have been worse,_ she thought. She could have had flashbacks instead of this peculiar dream. She didn't want to work out whatever hidden message was behind the dream if it happened to be a vision. It would be too much work. Making up her mind, she started up the Mustang. Adelina was about to pull out of the parking lot she had stopped at for the night when suddenly she caught a glimpse of brunette curls and olive skin a few feet away from her car. The dark-haired beauty sashayed towards the Mustang, a smirk on her pouty lips. As she got closer to the car, Adelina caught wind of her scent through the half-open window...she was a vampire. Before she could react, the brunette beauty was already by the car window, tapping on the glass.

Adelina contemplated the odds of getting attacked by the blood-sucking leech right out in the open. There wasn't anybody around to witness it if she were to get attacked, so she should keep her guard up if she wanted to survive. Her healing factor wasn't at full capacity yet, and it wouldn't be until she was somewhere in her early to mid-twenties. At least, that's what her father had told her all those years ago, back when he was alive. Oh, who was she kidding? She didn't give a damn about her own life. The only reason why she hadn't taken her own life yet (not for lack of trying) was to find _her_. So she rolled down her window completely, her claws braced to unsheathe at the first sign of danger.

"Can I help you, ma'am?" asked Adelina cautiously, prepared for fangs to pop out and maybe some blood. Not her own blood, of course.

"Sorry, it's just that you look very familiar. But not familiar enough that I can recognize you."

"It's quite alright, although I can guarantee that I've never seen you before in my life. May I ask why you tapped on my window?"

"I just wanted to know why you were parked in this empty lot when there is a perfectly good motel down the road a couple of blocks away from here. And of course, your familiar features fed my curiosity."

"Well, is there anything I can help you with? Or are we done here?"

"Actually, yes. There is something you can help me with. How about you quietly get out of your car and we can have some fun without you making a sound?" said the brunette, her pupils dilating as she tried to compel Adelina into doing her bidding.

Adelina smirked inwardly. The bitch was trying to compel her. Luckily, Adelina's unique genetic makeup made sure that it was impossible for her to be compelled. So instead of climbing out of the car as she was told to do, Adelina rolled up her window and put the Mustang in reverse, laughing at the look on the leech's face in the rear-view mirror. The brunette had vamped out and was snarling at her from the distance, no doubt pissed off that what should've been a relatively effortless meal was now speeding down the road.

The giggles wore off, and Adelina focused on the task at hand. She had to get to Mystic Falls. Whatever her visions had been telling her, or showing her rather, it was clear that whatever answers she needed she would find in Mystic Falls. At the moment, she was in Atlanta, heading east to her destination. She felt herself starting to think of her horrible past. She started to remember the pain, the tears, the abuse, and the loss. She didn't want to feel it anymore. It hurt too much. But it seemed that Adelina's life was just that, pain and suffering and loss. She didn't know what she did to deserve any of it, but apparently it didn't matter.

She shook her as to try to shake off the self-pity she was feeling. Now wasn't the time to dwell on such things. She redirected her focus solely on making it to Mystic Falls. There were only a few more hours until she would reach her destination, meaning less time before she was closer to finding _her._

4 hours later, she could see a sign welcoming her to Mystic Falls. Adelina desperately wanted to get out of her car and stretch her legs after such a long road trip, so she drove around the town looking for a place to collect herself and figure out what to do next. That's when she saw it, the Mystic Grill. It seemed busy, but it would do in a pinch. Making up her mind, Adelina pulled her car up a few blocks away from the Grill and climbed out, walking into the building.

She immediately sat down the bar. What she really wanted was a stiff drink, preferably without getting carded. She knew she looked a bit more mature than her 18 years (probably because of all the pain and sorrow she had endured over the last decade, give or take) so it was unlikely that she would get kicked out. And she was going to take her chances, because she wanted nothing more than some hard liquor to numb her mind and clear her head for a little while.

"Bourbon. Neat," she ordered. The blond bartender smiled and nodded. _Looks like it worked,_ she thought. Adelina could let go of her worry of getting caught and being given the boot. She would stay and have a few drinks, gather her thoughts, and find a place to get settled should she have to stay here for a while.

Suddenly, a scent wafted over from behind her to her nostrils as she heard the front door creak open. The scent was coming from a vampire. A different vampire than the one from before, but a vampire all the same. Of that, she was completely positive. Her senses never let her down before, at least not once she got the hang of them. The scent grew stronger as she tuned in her ears to the footsteps behind her. The footsteps were getting closer and closer. Then they stopped, and the vampire climbed on top of the barstool next to her. She contemplated whether or not to look over to see who the vampire was until the blond bartender came back with her drink.

"Oh Surfer Ken, for a guy who claims to despise me you seem to be so eager to get me a drink before I even order! And bourbon, really you just know me so well. What, looking for a tip?"

"First of all, for the millionth time, it's Matt. Second, the drink isn't yours, it belongs to this lovely lady right here. And third, even if it was your drink it would only be yours because I want you to finish your drink and get out of my hair as quickly as possible."

Adelina raised her brows at the "lovely lady" remark. If this Matt really knew her, or what she was, she bet he wouldn't be saying that at all.

The rich baritone voice piped up again, this time sounding like there was more than just a hint of a smirk mixed into it.

"Well, the lovely lady has good taste. Anyway, get me the same drink. I've had a long-ass day not worth mentioning and I need some booze to top it off."

Adelina took a sip of her bourbon, but she could feel the vampire's eyes on her. This time, she turned her head to gaze back at the man appraising her.

The man was...beautiful, there was not a more perfect way to describe him. He had dark hair that was falling over his ears, a sharp jaw, pale complexion similar to hers, and cerulean blue eyes that were like gazing into ice pools. His entire face had an uncanny resemblance to Xander's, which made her heart start to ache.

"Well then, what's your name, sweetheart?" asked the Xander look-alike.

"Whatever my name is, it isn't the business of a stranger," she replied, not ready to give up her name to the leech.

"A stranger, huh? Well, let's fix that right now. The name is Damon. Damon Salvatore. Mystic Falls's most eligible bachelor and sexiest man alive. And you are?"

Adelina snorted. This guy was so full of himself.

"Is the world's biggest ego included in that repertoire, or are you just extra cheeky today?" Adelina retorted.

Damon laughed. He always enjoyed it when a woman dished it back at him. And what a woman indeed! With her waist-length crimson locks, her pale complexion, her killer figure, and those peculiar eyes of violet, she was a total knockout. And damn him if he didn't plan on getting her in his bed. Or against the wall in the Grill's back alley. It didn't matter to him where it happened, it just had to happen.

"I may have a big ego, but it isn't big enough to not notice that you're dodging the question, sweetheart."

"Well Mr. Salvatore, you don't strike me as the type of person who bothers to get to know a woman's name."

"Mr. Salvatore, huh? Well, normally you would be right. But you deflecting my question has only piqued my interest, and I'm like a dog without a bone at the moment. So how about it, sweetheart? Care to tell me your name?"

"Well, I guess it couldn't hurt to give you the bone. It's Adelina. Adelina Howlett."

Damon held out his hand as if to shake hers. Adelina decided to humour him and put her hand in his. But instead of shaking it as she expected, he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed the back of it. For some reason, she could feel her veins on fire all the way down to her toes as soon as his lips touched her skin.

"So, Adelina Howlett, I've never seen you around before. So either you're new around these parts or you're one of those nutcases who can't stand being out for too long. So which is it, the former or the latter?"

"Definitely the former, though one could argue that we all have a bit of a nutcase inside all of us. I'm actually from up north. So you're right, I'm definitely not from around here. I'm going to assume you're a native to this part of Virginia."

"You assumed right. Now let me guess, you're from…New York, perhaps?"

"Really, do you actually see me as a big city girl? Just goes to show how little we know of each other. Try again, this time much farther north."

"What, don't tell me you're from Canada!" Damon snorted.

Adelina simply raised an eyebrow, daring him to go on.

"Ah, so Canada it is then. Where are you from, Toronto?"

"I thought we established that I'm not a big city girl? Well, I'm obviously not from Toronto. I come from Golden. It's a small town in British Columbia, not too far from Alberta's capital of Calgary. I spent most of my childhood there."

What Adelina didn't mention was the house-jumping she had to do in the foster care system after her father died all those years ago. She had been bounced all over the western provinces of Canada (with the exception of the northern territories) until she finally was put in her last home in the town of Blaeberry, a few hours away from her hometown of Golden and therefore Xander. When it became clear that she was going to stay there unless she reported abuse (which there had been plenty of in each home, including this last home), she decided to stay and keep her mouth shut about her suffering. It seemed that every time she reported it, her pain grew tenfold every time she was moved to a new foster home. That meant she was closer to Xander but had to suffer the worst of the abuse for almost 3 years. She stayed there until she was 17...when the most tragic event of her life had come to pass.

Realizing that she had zoned out and Damon was waving his hand in front of her face to capture her attention, she shook her head to stop herself from following that train of thought. She didn't want to become emotional in front of someone who was, for all intents and purposes, a stranger.

"Sorry, just got a little lost in my memories for a moment there. You were saying something?" she said, trying to pass off the moment as one of nostalgia.

"By the look on your face, it doesn't seem like they were very pleasant memories. But I'm gonna guess that you're not willing to share that tidbit of information, so let's move on. What brings you to this small town of nobodies known as Mystic Falls?"

"Let's just say I've come on the account of clearing up some personal business."

Adelina wasn't about to spill the whole purpose of her sudden impromptu road trip all the way down south to Mystic Falls. Not to the likes of a vampire, anyway. What she needed to do, however, was to find a place to stay for the night. It was getting dark and she needed another vision to show her what she needed to do next.

"You wouldn't happen to know where the nearest motel or bed-and-breakfast is around here, would you?" she asked, hoping for some helpful information from the Mystic Falls native.

Damon just grinned, as if he had just gotten a new toy to play with. Adelina was confused. Until of course he opened his mouth.

"Don't you move fast, sweetheart? There's no need for that, my place is not a far drive from here. Or if you're not in the mood for a drive, the back alley is available for a little fun time. So what's it gonna be?"

Adelina's nose had scrunched up in disdain at the thought of his proposition. She had no interest in becoming his next notch on what she was sure was an already overcrowded bedpost. She could feel her skin crawl at the thought of putting herself in such a vulnerable position. The man had a face not meant for innocence, that she was sure of, but it wasn't enough for her to be tempted into even considering his offer. Not to mention him being a vampire meant that he would probably just drain her body dry right after he had his fun with her. Normally, she wouldn't mind the possibility of death, but not after using her body in such a way. Especially not when she had a mission to complete.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Casanova, but that's not what I meant in the slightest. What I did mean however is that I need a place to stay for the night, and not for some frolicking in bed. Not that I would have said yes anyway. I'm not the type of girl that does one-night stands, or any sort of friends-with-benefits kind of relationships. So you can help me by pointing out the nearest place where I can hit the hay for the night. And then I'll help you out by getting out of your hair to leave you to charm and seduce any other woman from this establishment and into your bed for the night. Does that sound good to you?" she said, shooting down his offer.

Damon looked at her with mild incredulity and disappointment. He had rarely been turned down before, and this was one time where he had really wanted to enjoy a woman. Hell, he couldn't even remember the last time he been turned down! He could always just use a bit of compulsion to make her more compliant and get her into his bed, but he was pretty sure that counted as rape. And for all of his sins, only God knew how many he had committed, forcing himself on a woman was not one of them. And it wasn't about to become one either. Not ever if he had any say in it. He may be a monster, but even Damon had his limits to how low he would go.

"Sweetheart, you have no idea what you'll be missing out on. But if that's what you want, then who am I to object? If you need a place to stay for the night, there's a bed-and-breakfast run by this sweet old lady. I believe her name was Mrs. Flowers. I've never stayed there myself, but I heard that it is a pretty decent place to stay for a few nights. If that doesn't seem appealing for whatever reason, my place has ten bedrooms. I don't see the harm in you staying there for a little while."

"Though your offer is nice and all, I'd rather not take it from someone I'd just met. I think I'll just stick to the bed-and-breakfast. I shouldn't be here for long, anyway," Adelina decided.

"Suit yourself. I assume you'd like the directions and address? Do you have anything I could write on?"

Adelina looked around and found a napkin. She asked Matt for a pen and gave it to Damon. Damon scrawled some directions and what looked to be an address on the napkin. Once he was finished writing the address and directions, he capped the pen and handed the napkin to Adelina. Once again, as soon as his skin grazed hers, she felt as if liquid fire was running through her veins. Her tingling feeling on her skin was the only evidence that he ever touched her as he pulled back. This confused her. Was she the only one feeling this or was he affected too? Or was it all just in her head?

Pushing her confusion to the back of her mind, Adelina thanked Damon for his help and paid for her now finished drink. The sun had long set by this point, and she was starting to feel her eyes droop from the exhaustion of driving for so long. So she climbed into her car, started up the engine, and put the car into drive.

Driving to the bed-and-breakfast, she appraised the scenery of Mystic Falls. The town had a type of old charm to it. It was like it radiated history. The town also gave Adelina the feeling that it was a hub for supernatural activity. There was an ancient energy radiating from it, the kind of energy that didn't come from the regular sort of progression of human settlement. She didn't understand how she could feel this energy, but she always had been able to, since she was a little girl. Adelina just assumed that it was something she got from her mother, just as she got her claws in her hands from her father.

Thinking about her claws, she unsheathed the ones in her right hand, examining the now steel-coated bone claws. She had two claws in each hand. She recalled how she got the steel on all of her claws, wincing at the memory. A few weeks before she headed out of Golden, she broke into an ironworks plant a few hours away from her hometown to upgrade her natural weapons. Adelina somehow managed to get the melted steel welded to her claws, but not without a lot of pain. What she didn't understand was how she managed to survive the process as her healing factor wasn't fully developed and still wouldn't be developed for a few years yet. She remembered a peculiar power surge that went through her body, giving her the strength to carry out the welding process. Adelina had no idea where the surge came from, or how she even managed to harness that energy, but she had an inkling that the ability had come from her mother.

Before she knew it, Adelina was in front of the bed-and-breakfast. It was a nice enough building from the outside, so she was hoping it wouldn't be all disgusting and unlivable on the inside. She didn't really have any other options at the moment. Adelina was relieved when her worries turned out to be unfounded, as the interior seemed just as clean and put-together as the exterior.

After booking a room from Mrs. Flowers, who she had decided was truly a lovely lady, Adelina settled in her room with only her duffel bag. She chose to leave the rest of her bags and belongings in the car, just in case she had to leave in a hurry. Rummaging through her bag, she pulled out a set of pajamas as well as some toiletries. Deciding to take a quick shower, because God knew she needed one after being on the road for almost a week, she rummaged through her bag for some shampoo and body wash. Pulling the respective items out of the bag, she started to zip her bag shut when an object in the bag caught her eye. Adelina picked it up and examined it contemplatively. It was a pill bottle, and it wasn't just any pill bottle. The bottle held pills of Valium. She hadn't taken them in a long time, but they were great at knocking her out into a dreamless (and more importantly vision-less) sleep. She considered taking some to stop the visions but reluctantly dismissed the idea. She needed to figure out what to do and where to go next, and since most of her visions happened when she was asleep, the only way was to avoid the drug. Not only that but the more she took the drug, the better immunity her healing factor would build against it. This meant that she would have to take heavier doses for the Valium to work its magic on her mind, increasing the risk for an overdose. Although an overdose seemed like a peaceful way to go, now was definitely not the time for it. Making up her mind, Adelina decided to save it for later and zipped up the bag with the Valium in it.

40 minutes later, Adelina was done showering and felt slightly better about what awaited her in her sleep. The problem with her visions was that she couldn't control them. She could see visions from the past or future, or possibly no visions at all. There was also the risk that she would have a flashback, which would most probably turn into a nightmare with her given luck. There was a chance that she may not even get anything useful from whatever she saw. It was basically a game of luck. Adelina decided that she had stalled long enough, it was time to sleep. She climbed into the bed and burrowed herself under the warmth of the blankets, despite the fact it was late August and she was in the south. Adelina switched off the bedside lamp and focused on the sound of her breathing. Soon enough, her breathing evened out and she was fast asleep…

_The room was bustling with activity, lively music filling the air with its melody. People were dancing and laughing, their expressions seemed carefree. Women wore flapper dresses while men wore tuxedos. Everyone seemed at ease, all except for one red-haired woman at the bar. She was beautiful, wearing a deep blue flapper dress and her hair in a curled bob, not unlike the other woman in the room yet different all the same. She was nursing a drink in her hand while her violet eyes wandered around the room. They settled on a handsome man in the corner, laughing at something his friend was telling him. A tap on her shoulder snatched her attention away from the handsome man, turning her back to the bar behind her. A smiling dark-skinned woman shook her head in amusement at the redhead._

" _As I live and breathe, what good deed did I do that earned me a visit from this ever reclusive young gal? I didn't think you enjoyed these sorts of establishments. You know, the ones where you can actually have fun?" the dark-skinned woman joked._

" _Good to see you too, Ms. Bennett. Speaking of young, which you certainly know I am not, you seem to have perfected that anti-aging spell in the last 20 years. You've barely aged a day," the redhead smiled._

" _Ms. Bennett? Come on sugar, you know you can just call me Marie. What brings you around to this part of New Orleans? You certainly don't need an anti-aging spell with your nifty little powers."_

" _I need to know if you figured out a way to stop it, or by the very least slow it down. Please, you're from the Bennett bloodline, one of the most powerful bloodlines there is. If anyone can figure it out it has to be you. I can't risk trying anything in case I start speeding it up. I've been everywhere, talked to every witch I could without risking revealing who I truly am. Please, Marie, you are my last hope."_

" _Oh sugar, my hands are tied where that curse is concerned. Stopping it, now that is probably impossible. Slowing it down, on the other hand, is a much easier task. Come to the back with me, I've got just the thing for your...ailment. Can't let the locals know I've been practicing magic, not with that stupid Marcel's lackeys hiding around."_

_The redhead followed Marie to the back of the building, where Marie kept all her grimoires and herbs. Marie poked around, looking around for some ingredients and whatnot. She picked up some herbs and ground them with a mortar and pestle, then put them in a jar before chanting some Latin. The candles in the room burned brighter as Marie chanted the spell until finally, she stopped. Pouring some water into the jar and sealing it, Marie handed it to the redhead._

" _The herb in the jar is called vervain. It's toxic for regular vampires as you know, but for you, it won't do any harm as you're not a regular vampire. You already know the spell I used for the herb, so you can use it if you have any vervain at your disposal. Don't worry, the spell won't speed up the effects of the curse if you use it. The spelled vervain will suppress the effects of the curse for as long as you take them, but they may stop working after some amount of time. How long that may be, that I don't know." Marie explained to the redhead._

" _Thank you, Marie. I know it goes against your duty as a servant of nature to help me, yet you did anyway. I'm not sure I deserve your kindness, not after all the things I've done…"_

" _Oh, hush now! You're a better person than you think. And I'm not the only servant of nature in this room, now am I? Doesn't matter if you have vampire blood or werewolf blood in you, you're still one of us. And I help one of my own, whether that's you or the next witch that comes around. Provided their intentions are pure, of course."_

_The scene changed. The redhead and Marie disappeared. The setting changed to a modern bedroom, where what looked like a teenage girl was chanting spells on her bed. She looked a lot like Marie, possibly a descendant of hers. The room was lit with plenty of candles, which seemed to burn brighter the longer the girl chanted. Adelina scanned the girl's room, trying to find a clue of who this girl could be and where this was. She found a high school textbook that belonged to Mystic Falls High, showing that this girl was from Mystic Falls. Finally, she found an embroidered bag with a name on it...Bonnie Bennett. So she was indeed Marie's descendant._

_Suddenly, Bonnie's eyes opened._

" _Found you."_

_And with a great gust of wind, all the candles blew out._

Adelina was hurtled out of her sleep. She was shocked at what she saw. This time, she knew for sure what she saw was in fact a vision. She knew what she had to do next. Adelina got out of bed and quickly got dressed. It was time to find Bonnie Bennett.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Adelina had new energy buzzing inside her. She finally had a clear lead telling her where she could find help, or rather who she could get help from. She knew that Bonnie Bennett was in Mystic Falls, now all she had to do was find her. Adelina already knew that Bonnie was a teenager given the fact that she had a textbook from Mystic Falls High School in her room. So her first bet of finding Bonnie was at the school itself. Adelina didn't know much about the American school system but, remembering a random bit of trivia, she did know that the school year didn't necessarily start in September in America. Not in every state anyway. She was willing to bet that school had already started for these poor unlucky souls of Mystic Falls. Pity, if they were in Canada they would have had a couple of weeks of summer vacation left to enjoy. It didn't really matter to Adelina though, as she had already graduated the previous year.

After using the washroom to brush her teeth and wash her face, Adelina bounded down the stairs in search of Mrs. Flowers. She needed to know where Mystic Falls High was and she'd rather not waste time trying to find it without directions. Since Mrs. Flowers owned a bed-and-breakfast, she thought it was wise to believe that she had a substantial knowledge of the town to help out any customers. If not, then Adelina would have to reluctantly play the part of the tourist and find the school herself. Adelina sighed in relief when she found Mrs. Flowers looking over some ledgers. She tapped on Mrs. Flowers's shoulder, unintentionally startling the poor lady. When Mrs. Flowers turned around she was relieved to see it was just Adelina and not some crook looking for trouble.

"Goodness, child! Don't you know not to scare a poor old woman like that? I'm not as young as I used to be, as you can probably tell by these darn wrinkles and whatnot. So if I end up getting a heart attack I won't be able to bounce back like I used to," scolded Mrs. Flowers, her hand pressed against her chest as if to soothe her anxious heart.

Adelina felt appropriately chastised for her lack of common sense. She sheepishly apologized to the now calmer Mrs. Flowers, who had decided that her new guest needed some breakfast to start her day. Ushering a confused Adelina into the dining room, Mrs. Flowers sat her new guest down in a chair and started for the kitchen. Adelina gripped the old lady's wrist to stop her from running off.

"Mrs. Flowers, I needed to ask you for some directions to…" Adelina started, but soon enough Mrs. Flowers cut her off.

"Directions can wait. You, young lady, look like you need a hearty breakfast to start your day off the right way. Wherever it is you need to go can wait until after. Now you wait here while I get something nice whipped up in the kitchen for you."

"But Mrs. Flowers, I'm not even hungry. Thank you for the offer, though," said Adelina as she rose from the chair, trying to slink away from the dining room. Unfortunately for her, Mrs. Flowers pulled her right back into the room and sat her back down in the chair. She sternly stared down the young woman as if daring her to try and move from the chair again.

"Now, now young lady. If you want any sort of help from me to get where it is you are so desperate to be right now, I suggest you wait here and eat some breakfast. Does that seem good to you?" said a stubborn Mrs. Flowers.

Adelina sighed in resignation. It looked like she was stuck here for at least another hour. Adelina checked the clock on the wall and noticed that it was only 6:30 am. Well, class probably hadn't started yet for the students of Mystic Falls, so she could spare about another hour or so of her time before she tracked down Bonnie Bennett. Now that she thought about it breakfast didn't seem like such a bad idea after all. At least her stomach didn't think it was a bad idea, given the rumble of desire it gave off once the idea of good home-cooked food was settled in her mind. Being on the road for the last few days with only snacks from gas stations for sustenance didn't help her resistance either.

Mrs. Flowers scurried away into the kitchen once it was clear that Adelina wasn't going anywhere. Soon enough, the sound of something sizzling on a frying pan as well as the aroma of freshly baked waffles was wafting from the kitchen into the large dining room. Adelina's stomach let out a low groan. Finally, Mrs. Flowers emerged from the kitchen with a plate of waffles and strawberries in one hand and a small pitcher of maple syrup in the other. The last of Adelina's willpower crumbled as she gratefully took the plate and pitcher from the old lady. She grabbed a knife and fork and tucked into her breakfast, a small moan leaving her mouth when a piece of waffle finally reached her taste buds. She looked up at Mrs. Flowers, now sitting in front of her across the table, and saw a mix of kindness and smugness at Adelina's reaction. Adelina figured she had the right to be smug as she had just cooked a lovely breakfast for her not-so-unwilling guest.

Before she knew it, Adelina had cleared her plate with not a crumb to spare. She started for the kitchen to wash her plate, but Mrs. Flowers insisted that Adelina was a guest and that she would take care of it herself. At this point, Adelina knew better than to argue with the old lady so she conceded. She checked the clock to see it was only 7:15 am, so she still had time before she had to get to Mystic Falls High School. Mrs. Flowers came out of the kitchen a few minutes later, and Adelina decided to ask her some questions.

"Mrs. Flowers, have you lived here your entire life? Or are you relatively a newcomer to Mystic Falls?" asked Adelina.

"Yes to the first. I was born here back in 1949. My parents had moved here from Louisiana a few years before I was born. Why do you ask, dear?"

"Well, I thought it would be a good idea to get the history of the town from a person native to these parts. Would you mind telling me what there is to know about Mystic Falls?"

It turned out that Mrs. Flowers knew a lot about Mystic Falls's history, so Adelina benefitted from asking her. She learned that Mystic Falls was founded in 1860 during the Civil War by five Founding families: the Fells, the Gilberts, the Forbes, the Lockwoods, and the Salvatores. Salvatore...that name rang a bell in her mind. Didn't the vampire from the Mystic Grill introduce himself as Damon Salvatore? If he was one of the original Founding members of Mystic Falls...then that meant he was almost 2 centuries old! That was older than her father had ever been, and he was quite old at his death.

She learned that the Founding families made up the Town Council, which was still in existence to date. She also learned that the townspeople had hunted vampires during the Civil War when their people had started disappearing mysteriously, either to be found with their throats ripped out or never at all. The Council had also burned many witches at stake. These so-called vampires were also rounded up and gathered in a church, which was burned to the ground. Mrs. Flowers scoffed at the idea as if it were ridiculous, but Adelina knew better. Combined with the aura that radiated from the town and her own knowledge of the supernatural, she knew that the original Founders were not wrong to believe vampires and witches were in their midst. When she asked how the Council managed to subdue the "vampires" long enough to round them up in the church, Mrs. Flowers said they used an herb of some sort called vervain.

Vervain. Adelina had heard that word before. Suddenly, she was transported back into a memory, tuning out Mrs. Flowers's voice.

_Adelina was 5 years old. She was playing in the garden in her backyard with an 8-year old Xander. Her mama had planted some new flowers in the garden, and she was keen on showing Xander just how pretty they were. Xander couldn't be bothered with silly things like flowers, saying that they were stupid and for little sissies._

_"_ _But Xander, they're so pretty! How can you not like flowers, 'specially this one! Mama said they're called vervain. They're purple, like my eyes," said a little Adelina._

_"Yeah, they're purple and ugly, just like your eyes. No wonder you like them so much," snorted Xander, going back to his collection of toy cars._

_The eyes in question welled up with tears. It was bad enough that most people at school thought she was a freak because of her eyes and used their aversion for them as ammunition to bully her, now her best friend was making fun of them as well. Soon, tears were streaming down her cheeks. Adelina lowered her head in shame, not wanting Xander to see how his words had hurt her. Unfortunately, Xander noticed that his friend had gotten quiet and looked up to see her head bowed, silent tears rolling down her face._

_"_ _What's wrong, Nia? What happened, did you get hurt by something?" asked Xander._

_"_ _Are my eyes really ugly, Xander?" whispered Adelina._

_Xander's eyes softened. "No, Nia, I was just being a jerk. I'm sorry for saying that. I didn't mean it in the slightest."_

_"_ _Then why do the other kids at school make fun of me because of them? I wish I had your eyes, Xander. They're so pretty and blue. No one would make fun of me then."_

_"_ _Kids make fun of you because they are bored and have nothing better to do. They're probably jealous because they have boring eyes. My dad says that people do stupid things when they're bored and jealous. Also, why would you want my eyes? Your eyes are way cooler, Nia. Except for your mom, I've never seen anyone else have those eyes. Speaking of your mom, do you think your mom looks ugly?"_

_"_ _No, of course not! Mama is the prettiest lady in the world! Why would I think that she's ugly?"_

_"_ _See, Nia? She has the same eyes as you, and you don't think she's ugly. She has the same hair as you, too. You look like her, so how can you be ugly?"_

_Adelina pondered over this for a moment. Xander was right. If she thought her mama was so pretty, how could she think any part of her was ugly? And that was what her eyes were, a part of her mother. Her daddy always said she was her mama's little twin, and he always maintained that her mama was beautiful. So how could she even think that she was ugly?_

_"_ _You're right, Xander. If Mama has the same eyes as me and is so pretty, then I can't be ugly."_

_Xander smiled. "Well, there you go. Now show me those flowers you're so crazy about."_

_Adelina quickly scrambled over to the garden and plucked two vervain flowers, then hurried back to Xander. She placed the flowers carefully in Xander's palm. Xander appraised them with his crystalline gaze._

_"_ _You're right, they are really pretty. Just like your eyes, Nia. You know, you may think your mom is the prettiest lady in the world, but you know what I think? I think there's someone even prettier," Xander said._

_"_ _Who?" asked Adelina._

_"_ _You, Nia."_

_Adelina blushed. Xander took the flowers in between his fingers and gently tucked them into her hair. He then intertwined his hand with hers, pulling her towards her house._

_"_ _C'mon, Nia. I'm hungry, and I bet you your dad is cooking something delicious for dinner. You're so lucky your dad can cook. My dad can't even boil an egg!"_

_Adelina laughed. "I really am lucky. Mama and Daddy are both really good cooks. Too bad that isn't the same with your dad!"_

_They both laughed as they ran back to the house._

Adelina was pulled out of her thoughts when she realized Mrs. Flowers had fallen silent. She was looking at Adelina with a mix of curiosity and worry.

"Are you alright, dear? You seem to have spaced out for a little while there."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Flowers. I just...relived a memory of sorts. I didn't mean to be disrespectful."

"Oh, it's quite alright, dear. Now, you had a question you had wanted to ask me earlier. Something about directions?"

Within a few minutes, Adelina had the directions to Mystic Falls High School written down on a piece of paper. She thanked Mrs. Flowers for breakfast and headed out of the little bed-and-breakfast. 10 minutes later, Adelina had arrived at the school. She parked her Mustang in the school's parking lot, hoping she wouldn't get towed for not being a student. Adelina could see a crowd of students trailing into the building, and more students just hanging around the building. Adelina assumed that school hadn't started yet, given that students weren't rushing to get into the building. If anything, it looked like she had more than enough time to find Bonnie Bennett. Praying she wouldn't attract any unnecessary attention to herself, she started to weave through the crowd of teenagers. She scanned their faces in hopes of finding Bonnie but started to feel frustration creeping through her when none of them matched the cocoa skin and green eyes from her vision. She figured that since Bonnie lived in such a small town, most people had to know her. Someone had to know where to find her. So Adelina abandoned her previous plan of having minimal contact with the students and decided to ask around until she was pointed in the right direction.

Sure enough, most people knew who Bonnie Bennett was. What they didn't know was where exactly Adelina would be able to find her at the moment. Adelina was about to call it quits when she saw a familiar face in the crowd, though it wasn't the face she had been searching for. It was the bartender from the Mystic Grill, Matt was his name if she remembered correctly. Adelina walked up to him, ignoring the stares from whom she assumed were his friends. Matt was talking to someone with his back turned to her when she gently tapped on his shoulder. He turned around, his forehead scrunching up in confusion until recognition passed over his features. A smile tugged at his lips. He excused himself from his current conversation and motioned Adelina to follow him away from his group of friends. Adelina hesitated for a moment but followed once she noticed how Matt's friends were staring at her.

"Hi! I served you back at the Grill, right? I don't think I got your name," said Matt.

"You're right, we met at the Grill. I'm Adelina. You're Matt, right?" Adelina clarified.

"Yep. I'm Matt, Matt Donovan. I didn't know you went here. I assumed you were just visiting Mystic Falls. Unless you just recently moved here and this is your first day of school."

"You assumed right the first time. I really am just visiting. I just needed help finding Bonnie Bennett. I'm under the impression that she's a student here. Do you happen to know her, or where I could find her?"

"I know Bonnie. She's a good friend of mine. Why do you need to find her?"

"She's...an old family friend. Can you help me find her?"

"Um, sure. She usually hangs out with Elena and Caroline by the bleachers in the field, or she hangs out in the gym while they're practicing their cheerleading. If she's not there, she's probably in the library. She's kind of a bookish person compared to Elena and Caroline. Do you need me to help you find her?"

"Thanks for offering, but I think I've kept you from your friends long enough. They're giving us funny stares as it is. I think I can manage to find her myself, thanks to your help. I'll let you go now. I hope you have a nice day at school."

Adelina watched as Matt headed back to his friends. She could tell that they were probably part of whatever local sports team the school had to offer, given the letter jackets and equipment they were carrying. Probably football, considering the fact that the sport was more than popular in America. It made sense given how they seemed to be making fun of Matt for his new "girlfriend" he was just talking to. Immature teenagers. Adelina let out a laugh. Here she was calling a bunch of jocks immature teenagers, all in spite of being a teenager herself. Sure, she wasn't the average teenager, but it didn't mean she could judge others for being teenagers themselves. Maybe it was her being bitter about not getting to be a normal teenager with normal problems. Or not having a normal life at all for that matter.

Adelina figured she should head for the field first, given that she was already outside. So she did exactly that, only to find it to be completely absent of any students. This led her to return to the front of the building and enter the front doors in search of either the gym or library. Adelina stumbled across the gym first, but there was only a group of boys playing basketball while other students were standing by to spectate the game. She scanned the spectators' faces but didn't find the face she was looking for in the crowd. Finally, she headed to the school library. It was easy enough to find given some helpful directions from the students around her.

Matt turned out to be right because as soon as she walked into the library Adelina found Bonnie sitting at a table with her nose buried in what looked to be a pile of homework. As Adelina walked towards Bonnie's table she felt a powerful aura radiate off of the teenage witch, clearly informing the redhead of her power. Bonnie didn't notice Adelina walking up to her table as she was so deeply engrossed in whatever it was she was doing. Once Adelina reached the table, she cleared her throat to indicate her presence to the other teenager. Bonnie looked up from her work and her eyes widened with shock. It seemed that Adelina wasn't the only one who had the power of visions.

"You...I saw you in my dream. Which means...it must have been a warning of some sort. Why are you here? What do you want from me?" asked a wary Bonnie.

"Relax, I'm not here to cause any harm. I just need your help. I probably had the same vision you did, albeit from a different perspective," soothed Adelina.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"My name is Adelina Howlett, and I need you, Bonnie Bennett, to help me find my mother."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Bonnie looked at Adelina in disbelief for a good few moments before she snorted and started laughing. Adelina looked at her in confusion and annoyance. She didn't see anything amusing about this situation. Eventually, Bonnie's laughs died down as she placed a hand on her chest to steady her breathing.

"So let me get this straight. You want me, a total stranger, to find your mother. Look, why don't you just file a missing-persons report with the police. My friend Caroline, her mom is the town's sheriff. She'll have a better shot at tracking her down than a small-town teenage girl," Bonnie said, talking down to Adelina as if she had a screw loose. To be fair, if Bonnie had been an average teenage girl Adelina wouldn't fault her for coming to that conclusion. But the reality was that Bonnie was definitely not a normal teenager, not with all that power radiating from her. Bonnie started to get up and walk away but Adelina's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. Bonnie glanced at her wrist before raising her dark eyes to Adelina's violet ones. She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything Adelina cut her off.

"Look, I know we really don't know anything about each other. All I know is that you're Bennett witch and that we've both crossed paths for a reason. I know I've had a vision of you and I'm pretty sure you've had one of me. You had to have known I was coming. So stop acting like you have no idea why I approached you and hear me out," said Adelina.

Bonnie appraised Adelina for a few long seconds before sighing."Fine, but we're not discussing this now. I have class in less than ten minutes. We'll have to meet up somewhere else."

"Somewhere like your place perhaps? Does that work for you?" suggested Adelina.

"Um, no offence to you or anything, but I'm not comfortable with letting a total stranger into my house. I've seen the dangers of that firsthand."

"That's fair. I guess you could say I would know something about that as well. How about the Mystic Grill? That's a good enough place to get to know each other, I guess."

"Isn't that a bit...public for what we want to discuss?"

"Well, yes, but that's better is it not? You won't be on edge as much, as you know there isn't anything I could do to you in a public place. Not that I would do anything regardless."

"That's...rather thoughtful of you. Alright then, it sounds like we've come to an agreement for now. But by no means should you assume I will help you until I've heard you out. Even then, if I don't feel like I can't trust you, then you'll have to find another witch. Is that understood?"

"Fair enough, Bennett. What time do you want me at the Grill? I assume you would want to head home to drop off your school supplies and freshen up after you finish your classes, yes?"

"Yeah, it would be nice to head home before we meet up. School ends at 3:30 PM, so how about we meet up at about 4:15 PM? Sound good to you?"

"Sounds like a date. I'll see you at the Grill."

Bonnie gave a small smile. Suddenly, the bell rang and students were rushing out of the library to get to their classes. Bonnie gave Adelina one last glance before heading out of the library. 'Well then,' thought Adelina,'I guess it's time I gave myself a tour of this lovely town.'

The problem was Adelina didn't have the slightest clue where to start. She considered heading back to the bed-and-breakfast to ask Mrs. Flowers where she could start her little tourist adventure, but she really didn't want to end up sucked into eating another meal (no matter how delicious it might be) or having another flashback in front of her. Who knew if she ended up having a less-than-pleasant one next time around? Better she avoided stirring up any more pity or concern for herself. The more detached she remained from the people in this town, the better it would be for both the wellbeing of the townsfolk as well as her own.

Adelina headed out of the school and towards the parking lot to her car. As she approached her car, she heard two voices travelling through the parking lot. She scanned the otherwise empty parking lot for people when her eyes settled on two people she assumed to be students of the high school. One of the students was facing away from Adelina, so all she could see of her features was her straight, chestnut brown hair and her relatively petite figure. The other student's face, however, was visible from where she was standing. He had dirty blonde almost brown hair and faded green eyes. They seemed to be having a tense conversation. Adelina was about to open her car door when a breeze gently carried a familiar scent towards her. Her head snapped back to the strangers on the other side of the parking lot. That scent...one of them had to be a vampire. She decided to open the trunk and pretend to rifle through its contents as to not draw attention to herself. She strained her hearing a bit to tune into their conversation.

"...just don't understand, Stefan. It seems like almost every time we get past our issues it means that you just have to turn around and put me in a position to be wary of anything you tell me. Is that what you want from me? To always be suspicious of whatever comes out of your mouth?" said the brunette.

"Elena, you know I don't like this any more than you do. But you have to know I only did so to protect you. Everything I do is to keep you safe," replied a calm Stefan.

"You think this was about keeping me safe?! You kept the fact that you relapsed and are now back on human blood from me. If anything you should have told me or your brother that you relapsed and we might have been able to help you earlier. Now an innocent life has been lost because you couldn't control yourself."

"You think I could tell Damon? He may be my brother, but he would use this as another way to take advantage of me. Or even worse, he'd try to use this as a way to get between us. He's just itching to take away my happiness."

"Damon has changed a lot since you both arrived in Mystic Falls. He may have been fixated on making your life a living hell once he found you again, but he no longer bears that same bitterness and hatred for you that he once did. And the way I see it, the only one standing between us and your happiness is you, Stefan."

Stefan and Elena seemed locked in a silent battle of wills after that statement. Adelina still couldn't see Elena's face and she didn't know what was going to happen, but if this Stefan guy was a vampire who happened to be back on human blood after abstaining from it for God knows how long then she wanted to make sure Elena was safe. She also knew that Stefan mentioned a certain Damon as his brother. Adelina knew it was highly unlikely that the Damon mentioned would be anyone other than Damon Salvatore. It was quiet for a few beats longer until Stefan finally spoke.

"I'm sorry for keeping this from you. It wasn't my intent to hurt you. I only wanted to protect you from the crap I have to deal with. I love you, Elena."

"I love you too, Stefan. But if we have any chance of making our relationship work we have to be honest with each other. Even if that means showing each other the parts of us we don't really like about ourselves. Do you understand that?"

Stefan nodded in agreement. Elena made a sigh of what sounded like relief and exhaustion at the same time. The school bell rang again, indicating that the two students were now officially late for class. Stefan started heading to the main building. Elena remained facing away until she sighed again and finally turned around. This time Adelina had to stifle a gasp as she looked at the more than familiar face.

It was the woman from the parking lot back in Atlanta! But...no, that couldn't be right. Adelina could smell her human scent. Also, Elena's hair was straight and her eyes held warmth and kindness. This contrasted with her vampire lookalike's curly tresses and cruelly cold eyes. So unless that bitch from back in Atlanta managed to turn herself back into a human it was clear that Elena was not the same person from Atlanta. Which just made things even weirder in Adelina's point of view. Then again, this is the supernatural I'm in. In all seriousness, I shouldn't be surprised if somehow leprechauns and unicorns exist, Adelina reasoned.

That thought startled a snort from her nose. The snort directed Stefan and Elena's attention towards her for a fleeting moment. Elena just looked at Adelina as if she was strange before continuing her way to the main building, which Adelina guessed she was for giggling out of what may seem like , on the other hand, regarded Adelina with a pensive stare. It was as if he recognized her from somewhere. Adelina locked eyes with him for a long moment until Elena called for Stefan, breaking his intense stare.

Adelina took this as her cue to start her self-guided tour of Mystic Falls. She climbed into the Mustang and started up the engine. After pulling out of the school parking lot, she headed back to the Grill to grab her favourite drink - bourbon.

Once she had her drink set in front of her Adelina scanned the restaurant and took in its atmosphere. The Grill was bustling with a pleasant kind of energy. Families were settled around tables, talking and laughing. Couples were flirting and smiling through their meals. Children were giggling and arguing at the same time, leaving their parents to settle them down. Nobody was alone, which only solidified the cold hard truth of Adelina's stark loneliness. The thought only intensified the ever-present serrated shards of her sorrow, twisting from the void in her heart and through her wounded soul as if they were shrapnel. She quickly gulped down her bourbon as if its job was to chase out the loneliness and melancholy from deep within her. But if she was being honest with herself that's exactly what she wished the liquor would do.

Lost in thought, Adelina didn't notice the person sitting down beside her at the bar. Until of course a deep voice rumbled from said person's throat, ordering a glass of scotch. Adelina's eyes snapped up to the familiar cerulean ones now watching her.

"You know, for a young woman like yourself, you sure do take down a tumbler of bourbon like a veteran alcoholic. Care to tell me your secret to such a talent?" winked Damon.

"Hello, Mr. Salvatore. I didn't know you were a frequent customer. Either you enjoy the ambiance of this lovely establishment or you're just as much as a so-called alcoholic as I am. And I don't know about you, but I happen to be leaning towards the latter," replied Adelina tersely.

"Looks like I caught you at a sucky time. Although the early day-drinking should've given it away. But it looks like you're evading the question again, little missy."

"Let's just say when life enjoys making you its bitch and fucking you over you just can't help but want to go for some liquid courage to get you through the bullshit that every new day brings. So you learn to enjoy the burn of liquor because what's one more burn in a world of pain. Does that satisfy your question?"

Damon blinked and stayed silent for a few beats. Looks like I managed to shut him up, thought a now smug Adelina. However, her smugness wasn't too last as it seemed that his muse wasn't one to be silenced for long. Admirable yes, but annoying nonetheless.

"Looks like we have more in common than what originally meets the eye. Though that's quite the mouth you have, young lady. Does Daddy Dearest know his little princess needs a thorough mouthwash with soap?"

Damon was only messing with her, but one look at Adelina's now cold demeanour made him realize he had touched upon quite a sore subject. Adelina only confirmed it after a long moment of silence.

"No, he probably doesn't know. You know, since he's dead and cold six feet under the ground. Kind of hard for him to wash my mouth out when he's long gone," muttered Adelina.

"Damn. I'm sorry to hear that. Also, I usually don't suck at making conversation. Especially not with such beautiful company like you. I guess I'm losing my touch," said Damon.

"Or maybe I'm just a tough nut to crack. Look, I'm sorry for being so cold. You didn't know about my dad being dead. Also, you didn't kill him so don't apologize. Apologies don't make sense if you don't really have anything to apologize for."

"As you wish, milady. So how did you find the bed-and-breakfast I told you about? Was it to your liking?"

"Yep. The place is well kept and Mrs. Flowers is a sweet old lady. I don't think I'll have any problems staying there for the time being. Thanks for mentioning the place. I really didn't want to end up sleeping in my car for the rest of my time here."

"Don't mention it. Of course, you wouldn't have had to resort to sleeping in your car if you just took my offer to stay at my place."

"Nah, I think I'd decline anyway."

"Why? Afraid that I might corrupt your innocence?"

"More like I'm wary of strangers trying to murder me in my sleep. Not on my top ten ways to die if I'm being completely honest with you. I think I'd rather be aware of my impending doom. That way I can imagine what my tombstone will look like, including the death date, right before I die."

Damon chuckled at Adelina's logic. Most humans he knew would want to die in their sleep after a long happy life. Not Adelina, though. Damon finished his scotch with one last gulp. Adelina made a move to get up from the barstool but Damon grabbed onto her wrist to stop her from doing so. He didn't want to stop talking to her just yet. Once again, Adelina felt her blood zing with electricity at the vampire's touch.

"What are your plans for today, Ms. Howlett?" asked Damon.

"I'm meeting up with...an old friend at quarter past four. Right now, however, I plan on taking a self-guided tour of Mystic Falls. Might as well kill time one way or another," answered Adelina.

"Why take a self-guided tour when you're now friends with a Mystic Falls native? I can show you around the town."

"Rather presumptive of you to assume we're friends only after two happenstance meetings. Also, don't you have anything to do today? I wouldn't want to mess with your schedule for the day."

"Don't worry about me. All I've got to do today is a council meeting at 4:30 PM, and those meetings are mind-numbingly boring. Also, I've got this gut feeling that we're gonna be good friends. That's a lot from me since I don't usually do friends. Especially not with women"

"Yeah, you probably do the fuck-and-chuck routine instead of the whole friendship thing. Don't worry, I'm not judging. Just making an observation."

"Nice observation, Ms. Know-It-All. So how about it? Let me out of my boredom and misery by giving you an honorary tour. C'mon, make my day would ya?"

Adelina thought about it. There was a chance Damon would just kill her as soon as he found the perfect place to do it. But for some reason, she felt that she could trust him not to hurt her. That was saying a lot considering she didn't trust very many people. She may have been stupid for feeling that way, but she decided to take a chance on Damon. Besides, if he did decide to make an attempt on her life and suck her dry she would sure as well put up a lethal fight. With that final thought, she made her choice.

"Fine, but if you end up murdering me while we're on this tour just know that my ghost will haunt you for the rest of your life," Adelina said only half-joking.

"Duly noted, sweetheart. But I wouldn't mind having such a good-looking ghost haunting me for the rest of my life. Hell, I'd probably die happily at your dead hands," winked Damon.

Adelina simply rolled her eyes at the vampire's words. He almost never was at a loss for words. At least the tour won't be boring with him showing me around, Adelina concluded. They decided to take Damon's car around the town as Adelina had to get back to the Mystic Grill for her meeting with her "old friend". They headed out of the restaurant towards Damon's car. She appraised the car as she climbed into the shotgun seat. It was a sky blue '69 Chevy Camaro. So Damon had a thing for classic cars. He would have gotten along splendidly with her dad. Then again, they were probably close enough in age that they would've been able to bond over many different things since Damon was a vampire and her dad was born somewhere in the late 1800s.

"You have a beautiful car, Damon. I see you have an appreciation for the classics," complimented Adelina.

"Yep, I do indeed. How about you? Do you appreciate the classics?" asked Damon.

"My dad loved classic cars. A love that he passed down to me as well as his 1969 Chevy Mustang. So yeah, one could say that I appreciate the classics."

"A woman that appreciates classic cars? Keep it up and you might just turn out to be my perfect woman."

"Better keep my mouth shut then. I don't know what would be worse than becoming your perfect woman."

Damon feigned getting shot through the heart, at which Adelina just rolled her eyes. But she couldn't help but let a small smile grace her lips. His muse never seemed to lose its touch. It was kind of entertaining if she was being honest with herself.

Before she knew it, they'd arrived in front of an old-looking but well-cared-for building. It looked like a place for official meetings and gatherings. Turns out she was right about that.

"Where are we? What is this place?" asked Adelina.

"This, my dear, is one of the oldest buildings in town. It's Founder's Hall. This is where those ever-so-entertaining council meetings take place. The Miss Mystic Falls pageant also takes place here every year, among other sorts of functions," answered Damon.

"Got it. What have we got to see here? Some old town history, perhaps?"

"You got that right. Can't have a tour of this town if you're not going to check out this place."

"Alright then, Mr. Tour Guide. Lead the way."

They climbed out of the car and entered the building. Founder's Hall hardly seemed like a fitting name for the place. It seemed more like a mansion than a hall. The walls were lined with worn pictures and plaques. The room they were in had tables covered with what looked to be old journals, maps, and weapons.

"These are from the beginning of our town's history. Our town was founded during the Civil War era by five families. One of the families, the Salvatores, is the one that I descended from. Thew other families' names are the Gilberts, the Forbes, the Fells, and the Lockwoods. People from these families that are alive today are automatically put on the Town Council once they're old enough. Unless, of course, they're smart enough to hightail it out of here before then," said Damon.

"If you hate Mystic Falls so much why don't you hightail it out of here? Maybe you don't hate this town as much as you like to show you do," Adelina pointed out.

Damon went quiet for a moment as if pondering Adelina's statement. Then he responded.

"I actually did hightail it out of here years ago. But you can say that something called me back after all those years."

Adelina waited for Damon to elaborate but it seemed that he too had a thing for keeping secrets. Adelina respected that, so she didn't ask for him to explain further. They continued walking through Founder's Hall, occasionally stopping to discuss any questions Adelina had about certain artifacts. Finally, they came to a wall covered in plaques with names on them. Two names caught Adelina's eye - Damon and Stefan Salvatore. According to the plaque they died in 1864, but that obviously wasn't the case if Damon and Stefan Salvatore were turned into vampires. That meant that they had been vampires for about a century and a half. Damon noticed the pensive expression on her face and followed it to the Salvatore plaque.

"Those were the names of the original Salvatore brothers. My younger brother and I were named after them. Though their names weren't the only things we inherited from our ancestors. We inherited their rivalry with one another," explained Damon.

"What was the rivalry about?" asked Adelina.

"The rivalry all came down to a woman. Doesn't always come down to the love of a woman?"

"What happened to the woman? Did she choose one of them before they died?"

"No. She toyed with their hearts and destroyed their sense of brotherhood. The brothers died trying to save her from a fire. It was pointless as she perished with them. Or so they say."

"Do you know the woman's name?"

"Yes. Her name was Katherine Pierce."

Adelina figured that with the exception of the true identities of the original Salvatore brothers Damon hadn't lied about anything. It's not like he knew that she already knew that he was a vampire. Adelina figured she'd give Damon a sense of security regarding his identity. There was no reason to purge her knowledge to him.

Damon took Adelina all over the town, stopping whenever he deemed a place was important enough for it. He even took her to a few shops. She ended up leaving the place with five new purchases, one of the purchases including a watercolour-themed diary to write in as she finished the pages of her last one. Not to mention that she had left her old diary back in Xander's apartment in Golden along with the rest of her diaries. She also bought a leather-bound sketchbook and some art supplies such as pastels, coloured pencils, and a set of paint. Art and writing were the ways she expressed herself, so Adelina thought if she ended up staying in Mystic Falls for a while then she might as well keep herself occupied if her search for her mother turned out to be a slow one. Which, chances are, it probably would end up that way.

Damon was glad he decided to convince Adelina to let him give her a tour. He hadn't had this much fun since taking Elena to Georgia. Elena...suddenly a dark cloud loomed over his happy mood. He quickly shooed it away as quickly as it came. He didn't want to ponder on his unrequited love for his brother's girl. Definitely not when he was in such beautiful company. He found it refreshing to be around a new face, even if said face wouldn't divulge much about herself. All he knew about Adelina was that she was from Canada and that she had a dead father. Oh, and that she liked to drink the hard stuff. He decided to make another attempt at scratching away at the mystery that was the woman sitting in the car next to him.

"So...what kind of business are you here in Mystic Falls for?" he asked.

"The personal kind," she said succinctly.

Damon took the hint and asked something else.

"I know it's not polite to ask a lady this but I'm curious. How old are you?"

"Guess."

"Ummm, 23 or 24?"

"Is that your final guess?"

"Yep."

"Hate to break it to you but you're incorrect. I'm actually 18."

Damon blinked. Damn! This girl was only 18? She seemed much older than what her apparent true age was. Mostly because of her eyes. They had this haunted look of pain and sorrow to them. He recognized those eyes. They were the same ones he saw when he looked in the mirror. That realization startled him. He might actually have much more in common with Adelina Howlett than he originally thought. He mentally shook himself and restarted his questioning.

"Do you have any siblings?" asked Damon.

"Nope. I'm an only child," Adelina answered.

"Lucky you. Half the time I'm trying to get along with my brother I want to tear my hair out because of his perpetual broodiness. The other half I pretend that he's just not there."

Adelina snorted. "At least you have a brother, even if he is a broody one. You can fight like dogs but at the end of the day you know someone will be in your corner for as long as they're around."

"I guess you're not wrong. Saint Stefan may be an annoying and broody little thing, but he is my brother. I'd die for him. Even if he might not believe it."

"Why wouldn't he believe it?"

"Let's just say we've wronged each other too many times to count. Especially me. He'll probably never forgive me for it."

"Do you forgive him?"

"For what?"

"For all the things he's done to hurt you."

"I think so. Actually yes, I have."

"Does Stefan know that?"

"I've never told him. Men, especially Salvatore men, don't really have heart-to-hearts about this type of thing. Or for anything else to be honest."

"Maybe you should tell him. Forgiveness is usually one of the first steps for healing in most cases. And maybe you forgive yourself."

"Pardon?"

"You heard me. You probably hold some guilt inside you for what you've done to him. It's one of the things keeping you and your brother from moving forward in your relationship with each other. You should try to let it go."

Damon smiled at Adelina. "You know, you're pretty wise for an 18-year-old. And not to mention insightful as well. Maybe you should think of becoming a shrink."

Adelina gave Damon a small smile in return. She never really thought of herself that way. Actually, she never really thought of the possibility of her having good qualities such as insight and wisdom. She chalked it up to her experiences. God knew she had plenty of them to go around.

The Camaro finally rolled to stop beside a worn walkway. The walkway seemed to go deep down into the forest that surrounded Mystic Falls. Damon hopped out of the car and quickly walked to Adelina's door, opening it with a bow as if she were royalty. Adelina climbed out of the car. Damon offered his hand to her. She decided to humour him and put her hand in his. Once again, her blood hummed with energy at his touch and warmed her right to her toes.

Damon gently pulled her along the worn walkway. Ther path gradually started to decline. Eventually, Adelina heard the quiet rush of water lapping against what sounded like rocks. The rush of water became louder and louder for the next ten to fifteen minutes. Finally, Adelina saw what Damon had brought her here for.

It was a beautiful waterfall, about twenty to twenty-five feet high. The waterfall emptied out into an equally beautiful river. Adelina just stood there and took it all in.

Damon smiled at the serene expression on Adelina's face. He knew it was a good idea to bring her here.

"You didn't think the town would be called Mystic Falls without an actual waterfall, did you?" he smirked.

"No, I suppose not. It's truly beautiful," said Adelina with a smile.

Adelina turned back to the beautiful sight in front of her. She closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh scent of moss and clean water. Suddenly, she felt a strong push at her back. She went tumbling into the river. Adelina resurfaced and spluttered out the water in her mouth. She glared at the devious vampire laughing at her.

"What the fuck was that for?!" she snapped.

"You looked too dry and peaceful for my liking. So I fixed that," he said with a chuckle.

Adelina made a movement to get to the bank of the river when an idea lit up inside her mind. She feigned tripping and groaned in pain. Damon looked worried and got closer to the bank. Adelina then quickly grabbed at his ankles and pulled him down into the river with her. Damon resurfaced from the water spluttering just as she did only minutes earlier. Adelina couldn't help but practically roll in the water with laughter at the unamused expression on Damon's face. Eventually, Damon couldn't help but laugh too at the hilarity of the situation. Adelina couldn't remember the last time she laughed like this.

"Wait until I get you, little missy!" declared Damon.

Adelina squealed and started to frantically swim away from him. But Damon just tapped into his supernatural strength and caught her in his arms. She struggled in his arms until she noticed the way he was looking at her. Damon gently laid one of his palms on her cheek. He didn't realize that his own face was getting closer to hers until Adelina wrenched herself out of his strong grasp.

"I-I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me," said Damon with remorse.

"It-it's okay. I shouldn't have reacted like that," Adelina said quietly.

"I'll take you back to the Grill. It's probably almost time for your meeting."

"I'd like that."

They walked their way back to the Camaro and climbed in. If Damon minded getting his leather seats wet he didn't show it. Then again, it was his idea to push her into the river. She just retaliated by getting him wet as well. Damon started the car and started heading further away from the direction they had come from. Adelina looked at Damon in confusion.

"Can't let you head to your meeting looking like a drowned rat. Although you look very nice this way, drowned rat comment aside. Anyway, we're going to my house to get you some clean and dry clothes," smirked Damon.

Adelina just nodded and stared out the window. Soon enough they pulled up in front of a beautiful house. No scratch that, it was a mansion. It was a different style than the one she spent her childhood in. They both climbed out of the car and headed for the door. It was unlocked. Adelina almost asked why it was unlocked until she realized that Damon probably kept the door open for people stupid enough to snoop around. Effortless food, Adelina mentally shrugged. They entered the house and Adelina found it to be even more impressive based on its interior.

"You have a beautiful home, Damon," she complimented.

"Why thank you, sweetheart. I'm glad you think so. Personally I think it's a bit old-fashioned. But it is the Salvatore Boarding House. It was built after the Civil War era, so I can't really expect it to be contemporary or anything," Damon mused.

"Well, I happen to think it's lovely."

"Come with me. You need to wash that river water off you."

Adelina followed Damon up the staircase. Damon then led her into what looked to be the master bedroom. She assumed it was his room. The room was beautiful, with dark walls and a door leading into the ensuite bathroom. A king-sized bed stood against a wall. The sheets were blood red. How fitting for a vampire, Adelina mused. Damon excused himself from the room and darted into Stefan's room. He dug through Stefan's wardrobe until he found some of Elena's clothes. He dashed back to his own bedroom where Adelina was waiting for him. He then looked through his own wardrobe to find some unused boxer briefs for her to wear.

"Here, my brother's girlfriend has a drawer of clothes in Stefan's room. I just grabbed some for you. Old selfless Elena won't mind. You can just leave your old clothes in the bathroom. I'll have them washed and drop them off at the bed-and-breakfast later. Now go take a shower."

"Aye aye, Captain," joked Adelina with a mock salute.

Fifteen minutes later Adelina was freshly showered and smelled like Damon's woodsy soap. She rather liked the scent of it. She was wearing a maroon blouse and black skinny jeans. Elena was a petite girl from what she saw back in the school parking lot, so the clothes were a bit tight on Adelina's curvy figure. She headed down the stairs where Damon was waiting by the door with his car keys to take her back to the Mystic Grill.

Within ten minutes Adelina was back in front of the Grill. She turned to Damon and smiled.

"Thank you for taking me around the town. I really enjoyed it," she said.

"Don't mention it. I'll see you around, Adelina," replied Damon.

Adelina entered the restaurant and scanned it for Bonnie. She found her sitting in one of the booths in the corner of the restaurant. She walked over to the booth and sat down in front of Bonnie. Bonnie looked up from the menu she was holding and glanced at Adelina.

"You're ten minutes late. I had half a mind to leave without waiting for you to turn up," said Bonnie.

"Sorry, I was...touring the town," replied Adelina.

"Have you had lunch? The blueberry pie here is to die for. You should get some."

"Alright then. I'll have some."

Soon, their orders were in front of them. Bonnie ordered a slice of blueberry pie as well. They dug in and moments passed before any of them said anything. Only the sounds of the bustling restaurant and the clinking of their spoons against their plates were heard. Finally, Bonnie broke the silence.

"We're here for a reason. You may as well start explaining why you need my help. Not to mention why I should help you out," said Bonnie.

Adelina swallowed the last bite of her pie and took a deep breath.

"My mother is a vampire-werewolf hybrid. She's been missing for about a decade and I've got a reason to believe she needs my help. I've been having visions of her. It's better for everyone if I can get to her as soon as possible. She's very unstable right now," Adelina explained.

"Hold on a second, she's a hybrid? That's not possible. The only known vampire-werewolf hybrid is Niklaus Mikaelson, the oldest and strongest known being in the world and he can't even figure out how to create more hybrids. Trust me, he forced me into trying to find a way to do so. And it didn't even work. So how can your mother be a hybrid?" asked Bonnie.

Adelina pursed her lips. Then she spoke.

"How old is Niklaus Mikaelson?" she asked.

"Niklaus, or Klaus as he likes to go by, is about 1000 years old. Why do you ask?" replied Bonnie.

"Because he isn't the oldest being in the world."

"Then who is?"

"The oldest and strongest being in the world...is my mother."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

Bonnie’s jaw dropped open. She closed it and opened it again to speak, but no words came out. She cleared her throat and tried again.

“I-I don’t know what to think. How is your mother the oldest being in the world? Also, how could she even have had a child? Isn’t she part-vampire?” rambled Bonnie.

“I don’t know how she had a child, but somehow she did. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be standing here right now. Let me ask you a question. How old are you?” said Adelina.

“Um, I’m 18. What does that have to do with anything?”

“How long ago did you find out about your...er...powers?”

“Almost a year ago. Why does that matter?”

“If you only found out about your powers and the supernatural world not even a year ago, then what makes you think that you know everything there is out there? Have you ever even left this town to find out?”

Bonnie went quiet. Adelina had a good point. Who was she to be able to question this strange girl? Bonnie barely had any experience in the supernatural world in comparison to other witches. Bonnie figured she might as well hear Adelina out thoroughly before making her decision.

“Why did your mother disappear? Do you know why?” asked Bonnie.

“I didn’t. Not until this vision I had last night. I think I might know what caused her to leave. The vision also led me to you. You’re the first of what is probably many pieces to this puzzle.” said Adelina.

“How many years ago did your mother leave? How old were you?”

“She left 11 years ago. I was only 7 years old at the time.”

Bonnie looked at Adelina with a look of sadness and empathy. It was as if she knew the pain Adelina felt when her mother left without a trace. Then again, maybe she did feel her pain.

“You’re looking at me as if you know what it feels like,” Adelina said as if asking a question.

Bonnie was silent for a moment. Then she spoke.

“Yes, I do know what it’s like. I was 4 when my mom left my dad and me. To this day, I don’t know what was so bad about living with us that she had to leave. It doesn’t matter, though. Knowing the reason won’t bring her back.”

Adelina reached out and laid her hand atop Bonnie’s. “Hey, look at me. She left. That’s on her. Not you. And for what it’s worth, I hope you get your answers from her someday. You deserve that much at the very least.”

Bonnie gave a small smile at Adelina’s kind words. “Thank you. Is that why you want to find your mom? To get answers?”

“Partially, though, I think I’m starting to have a better idea as to why she left. The other part of it is that I think she needs my help. Also, she’s my only blood relative I have left.”

“What happened to your dad?”

Now it was Adelina’s turn to go quiet. She didn’t realize she was clutching the table until she heard the crack of the wood underneath her palm. Bonnie flinched at the sound. She had touched on a sensitive topic.

“I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer,” said Bonnie.

“No, it’s alright. My dad died when I was 10,” answered Adelina.

“How did he die, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“He died after vampires invaded our home. My mom wasn’t there, so she couldn’t protect us from them. I was hiding in the closet and watched it all happen. For some reason that I don’t understand, they didn’t come after me. They must have heard me, with their supernatural hearing and whatnot. But they left after they killed my dad.”

“I guess you just weren’t their intended target. I don’t think your mom or dad would’ve wanted you to die anyway. They would want you to keep on living your life.”

“You’re not wrong. My dad did die, trying to protect me. And my mom probably left to protect my dad and me.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I had a vision last night of my mother. She was visiting someone in New Orleans. The person she was visiting, her name was Marie Bennett. She was a witch, so I have reason to believe that she’s your ancestor. My mother went to get help with some sort of curse. Marie seemed to know what she was talking about when she mentioned the curse. I don’t know what this curse is, but I think it might be what caused my mother to leave my dad and me.”

Bonnie went into a moment of thoughtful silence. Then she spoke.

“What is your mother’s name?” she asked.

“Her name is Zoriayah,” Adelina answered.

“How old is she exactly? Do you happen to know by any chance?”

“I don’t know how old she is exactly, but I do know that she’s been around for about 2000 years or so. She may even be a few centuries older than that. Why do you ask?”

“I’m asking because I’m going to try to contact the spirits of older and deceased witches to see if I can gather any information on your mother. Then we can try to track her down if it's not too dangerous. I’ll try to do it tonight. Hopefully, nothing else will get in the way.”

“How are you going to track her? Do you need anything from me to help you do that?”

“Yes, I’ll need your blood to track her. The fresher the blood, the better. Of course, I could just use one of her possessions, but that doesn’t always work as well. Especially if the person I’m trying to track hasn’t come in contact with the item recently. It’s better if a blood relative offers their blood up for the tracking. The closer the person is to the blood donor, the better.”

“So if you want fresh blood for it, should I come by later and let you take some from me? Or should we meet somewhere other than your house?”

Bonnie thought about it for a second, then answered. “I can contact the witches from any place, but I think I trust you not to do anything to harm me. And if you do try, then I can just fry your brains out.”

“Sounds good. Can I get your address so I can come by later? Unless, of course, you want to do it now?”

“I’ve got plans with my friends for the rest of the day. I’ve got to help them study for an upcoming test. Tomorrow is a Saturday. You can come over then.”

“Cool. What time should I come over by?”

“How about 5 PM? That’ll give me enough time to finish my work for the day so we can do whatever it is we have to do without any distractions. Does that sound good to you?”

“Yeah, that sounds perfect to me.”

Bonnie gave Adelina her home address. She was headed to the local library, so Adelina offered to provide her with a lift, provided that she gave Adelina the directions. She dropped off Bonnie at the library and then decided to head back to the bed-and-breakfast. She started to drive the bed-and-breakfast when she passed by a field. That itself wasn’t strange. What was strange was the powerful energy radiating from it. She decided to park her car and investigate where precisely the energy was emanating from. Once she got out of the car, Adelina started to walk around the field, trying to determine the energy source. She couldn’t pin down one exact spot for the source. Which means...this whole field is the energy source, realized Adelina.

Adelina knelt to the ground and ran her hand over the grass. As soon as her hand touched the soil beneath the grass, Adelina was hurtled into a vision.

It was night time. The moon was almost full. Men and women in 19th-century garb were being tied up and taken to the field. They were gagged, so their cries and pleas for mercy were muffled. Adelina could tell that these people were witches. She didn’t know how or why she knew this, but she did. The witches were tied to long poles of wood as oil was tossed onto them. The townspeople and soldiers hurled insults at them and finished dousing them in oil. A large torch was lit. People cheered as the torch was thrown into the field. The screams of agony swirled through the curling smoke along with the stomach-turning stench of burning flesh.

Adelina snapped out of the vision. She raised her hand to her forehead and found sweat trickling down her temples. It was as if she felt the heat from the burning field of witches. That must’ve been why the field held so much energy. It was the energy of the dead witches that were burned here so many years ago. If she were to guess, she’d say this massacre took place around the time the town was founded. Since there were soldiers at the site, she assumed she was right as the last war that took place here was the Civil War.

For some reason, standing in that field made her feel both stronger and weaker. Stronger, because she felt as if she was drawing on the power of the witches that died there. Weaker, because at that very moment she felt acutely aware of her mortality standing in the field.

She decided to get out of the field. She didn’t know what she could do with the information she just discovered in that field. Adelina chose to tuck this new piece of information for later. It could become useful later on.

Once Adelina got back to the bed-and-breakfast she figured she should take a long jog to clear her mind of the day’s thoughts and worries. Especially to clear the thoughts of the vision she just had in the field. Adelina changed into yoga pants and a tank top and made sure to grab a water bottle. She let Mrs. Flowers know that she was heading out again and left the bed-and-breakfast.

Adelina jogged down the road until she reached a worn trail entering the woods. She was going to ignore the trail but something was drawing her towards it. As much as Adelina wanted to just continue on her jog, she knew that whatever it was probably important that she investigated the...disturbance or whatever it was. Adelina weighed the pros and cons of going down the path by herself. Luckily, it was still light out and it probably wouldn’t take too long to get out of the woods before dark. Also, should anything less than safe happen, she was more than capable of handling herself in such a situation.

Mind made up, she started jogging down the trail and into the woods. She could hear the chirping of birds and the light breeze rustling the leaves. She could feel energy humming, drawing her deeper and deeper into the woods. Eventually, Adelina reached a large clearing within the woods. It wasn’t completely clear though. Adelina was looking at what looked like an old but destroyed building of some sort. It looked to be almost ancient by the look of the beyond-rotted and charred wood and equally charred bricks.

Adelina walked carefully towards the rubble. The energy was getting stronger as she got closer to it. Finally, it was as if the site was pulsing with some kind of…some kind of phantom energy. It was kind of like the energy of the dead witches earlier, except with a slightly different energy signature. Adelina gently laid her hand on the charred rubble. For the second time in less than an hour, she was hit with a disturbing vision.

It was nighttime again. She was standing in front of what looked like a church. In the distance, Adelina could see smoke in the air. It was probably coming from about ten kilometres away. She could hear screams coming from the same direction of the smoke. Adelina realized that the screams were coming from the field. The same field where the witches were burned at the stake. She realized that this was the same night from the earlier vision, except it was from a different perspective. She turned back to the church. She could hear horses and wheels approaching the church. Sure enough, carriages entered her line of sight. The carriages stopped in front of the church, but she could still hear more carriages making their way towards the church. Adelina watched as people dragged bound and muzzled people out of the carriages. No, the bound people weren’t human. Their scent revealed them to be vampires. The townsmen dragged the bound vampires into the church. Adelina could smell vervain coming from the vampires’ bodies, which meant the townsmen had somehow managed to use vervain on a large scale to subdue these vampires long enough to round them up. Once all the vampires were rounded up and locked into the church, one of the townsmen lit a torch and threw it at the church. Within ten minutes, the church was engulfed in flames and screams could be heard from it.  
Adelina snapped out of it. This small town had shed more supernatural blood than she originally thought. No wonder Mystic Falls was generating so much supernatural energy. Violence like that always left a mark, especially if it involved the supernatural world.

Adelina decided to head back. She’d had enough visions for one day. She jogged her way back to the bed-and-breakfast and up to her room. Adelina then walked into the bathroom and stripped her clothes off before hopping into the shower. She closed her eyes as the hot water soothed her exhausted body. Pressing her head against the cool tile of the shower, Adelina walked through in her mind the events of the day. Her mind drifted back to the tour of the town she took with Damon. She had truly enjoyed it, and she rarely enjoyed anything if at all. Then she remembered what had happened at the falls. Damon probably hadn’t wanted to hurt her in any way when he reached out and placed his hand on her face, but she couldn’t help but feel fear at that moment when his face got closer to hers. Damon had apologized for his boldness even though Adelina didn’t feel any resentment towards him for it. She wished her body hadn’t reacted the way it always did whenever someone touched her in any sort of intimate way. It made it obvious that something wasn’t right with her, and the last thing she wanted was anyone’s curiosity. Or worse, anyone’s pity.

As she soaped up and scrubbed the sweat off her body, her mind drifted to the girl she saw in the school parking lot. From what she remembered her name was Elena. She was human from what Adelina could tell. Or smell in this case. So even though she looked exactly like the woman back in Atlanta, Elena couldn’t possibly be the same person who had attempted to make a snack out of her back in that parking lot in Atlanta. Unless she had found a way to mask her vampire scent with a human one, or somehow found a cure for vampirism. Yeah, there was no way that the latter was the case. And the former seemed to be a bit farfetched as an explanation. Not to mention the differences in mannerisms that the two women exhibited. No, the woman in Atlanta was probably an estranged twin sister or something of the sort. She then thought of Stefan. There wasn’t much resemblance between him and Damon, but she did see a little bit of it in their strong jaws and complexion. Other than that, they looked like night and day. It saddened her to think that Damon’s relationship with his brother was so strained since such a long time ago. She only wished she had a sibling around to share her joys, of which there were very few, and her sorrows with. Then again, it was probably better that she didn’t have a sibling as they would probably be subjected to the same or even worse torture and grief that she was subjected to after her father’s death. Yes, it was a cruel yet fair move by the universe (or God) not to give her a brother or sister. Why should another innocent soul be subjected to such pain? In any case, she wasn’t entirely alone after her father’s death. She had Xander in a sense. His emails and his phone calls always brightened up her usually dismal days.

Adelina stepped out of the shower and towelled off her body before changing into some clean clothes. She checked the time only to see that it was 6:30 PM. It was definitely too early to turn in for the day. Adelina racked her brain to figure out what she could do to occupy herself for a bit. She briefly thought about sketching or journaling with the new supplies she got earlier in the day but then dismissed the thought as it usually going into the deep recesses of her mind to really do something artistic, and as for journaling she’d rather not go into her mind and ruminating about the day and life in general. Not at the moment anyway. Adelina decided to just take a long walk around the town and observe the nightlife of the place.

Adelina headed downstairs and looked around to see what Mrs. Flowers was up to. She found her sitting in a corner of the living room curled up on a sofa and reading a worn novel. Adelina smiled at the peaceful sight and turned to leave. She was halfway to the front door when she heard the old woman’s soft voice.

“Dear, are you leaving again? Did you happen to have supper yet or do I have to sit you down and force-feed you to keep you healthy?” asked Mrs. Flowers, arms crossed over her chest and her book forgotten on her lap.

Adelina smiled. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Flowers. I was planning on grabbing some dinner from the Mystic Grill. I mostly just want to get a feel for the nightlife of the town. You know, see what kind of fun activities the folks of Mystic Falls occupy themselves with when they’re off work or school.”

Mrs. Flowers relaxed and dropped her arms from her chest. “Well then, I’m glad you are getting out and getting some fresh air. Now that I think of it, there is a movie showing going on in Town Square tonight around 7 PM or so. I don’t remember what movie they were going to show, but it probably will be enjoyable nonetheless. Perhaps you should go check it out.”

Adelina thought it over then nodded. She hadn’t watched a movie in God knew how long. She had nothing to do until Saturday rolled around the next day, so she figured that she might as well make the most out of her little trip to Mystic Falls. So Adelina told Mrs. Flowers to have a good night before she headed out. She debated taking her car but decided against it. She may have taken a jog earlier but she still felt like she wanted to stretch her legs out a bit more. That and she wanted to spend more time outside. It was a beautiful night anyway. The air was cool and the moon was full against the backdrop of a starry night. In Adelina’s opinion, it was absolutely picturesque.

Adelina walked towards Town Square at a relaxed pace. She wasn’t really in a hurry for some reason. She was also feeling less wound up than usual. One could almost say that she was relaxed. But Adelina knew better than that. I don’t think I’ll ever be relaxed. Not in this lifetime, anyway. Adelina knew that was a sad thought, but she was used to sad thoughts so it didn’t bother her as much as it should have. She reached Town Square within fifteen minutes, leaving fifteen minutes to spare before the movie started. Adelina watched as people put down blankets and got settled with bags of popcorn as She simply sighed and accepted the fact that she was probably going to get grass stains all over her jeans. She started debating in her mind whether or not she should grab some food from the Grill or just buy some popcorn and skip having supper when someone came up from behind her and clasped their hand on her shoulder. Adelina jumped and whirled around. She let out a breath of both relief and slight annoyance at the familiar face before her.

Damon smirked. “Fancy meeting you here. You know you don’t strike me as the type to come out to these types of events.”

Adelina rolled her eyes. “Thanks for not just calling out my name like any normal person. You just had to scare the bejesus out of me. Anyway, I might not be the type to come out to these events but you don’t strike me as the type to attend this kind of stuff either.”

“First of all, lighten up a bit. If you saw the look on your face when you whirled around and looked at me then you would have known how worth it was to startle you like that. Second of all, my baby bro and his girlfriend are having a date night over at our place. I know how it’s going to end and I’d rather not stick around to listen to them moaning and groaning all night.”

Adelina snorted at the disgusted grimace on Damon’s face. “You know, I’ll bet that your little brother has had more than enough experiences of you bring home a girl for a little fun. He’s probably had to hear more than his fair share of his big brother getting lucky.”

“Well, you’re not wrong.there, my friend. But I don’t think it’s fair to call it getting lucky when it’s such a regular occurrence.”

“Poor you, it must be getting boring by now.”  
“Meh, there’s always stuff I can do to switch it up a bit. But you might want to offer your condolences to all the women I’ve screwed.”

“Why, because you kicked them out before they could compose themselves after you screwed them?”

“More like you should offer them your condolences because they all went back to their regular lives and slept with ordinary folks. I can guarantee you that I’ve ruined them for any other men.”

“Wow. You just seem to get cockier and cockier the longer I talk to you. It must be some sort of mental disorder.”

“Oh baby, you only wish you knew how cocky I really am.”

Adelina faked a gag. “That’s it, buddy, you’re in a timeout. Now if you don’t mind, I’ve gotta find a spot before they all get taken up. I’d rather not stand during the whole movie.”

Adelina moved to go find a spot but Damon gripped her elbow, distracting her with the warm and electric feeling of his hand on her body. She looked up to see his usual smirk in place. She sighed and waited for whatever it was he had to say.

“You sigh as if you don’t enjoy my company. We both know that’s a lie. Anyway, I noticed you didn’t bring a blanket with you. You’re gonna get grass stains on your ass if you don’t plan on standing the entire time the movie is playing,” said Damon.

“Astute observation, Mr. Salvatore. Now get to your point,” responded Adelina.

So demanding. Well Ms. Howlett, I just thought since I have such a lovely and large blanket. It would be a shame if only I were to use it. So why don’t you do me a favour and share it with me? I see it as a win-win situation.”

“How kind of you, Mr. Salvatore. I guess it couldn’t hurt to share a blanket with you. Now wipe that stupid smirk off your face and get me some popcorn.”

“Yes ma’am!”

Damon went off to grab some popcorn while Adelina went to go find a nice spot to watch the movie from. She found a nice one a bit further away from the projector screen as well as away from the crowd of people. The spot was perfect if she wanted to make a quick getaway without being noticed for whatever reason. Of course, Damon would most definitely notice if she tried to make a quick escape.

As if on cue, Damon appeared with a large bag of popcorn. Adelina could smell the delicious scent of butter and salt coming from the bag. Her stomach rumbled in hunger. Probably should’ve grabbed dinner when I had the chance, mused Adelina.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone eye a bag of popcorn the way you are doing right now. Did you have anything before you came here?” asked Damon.

“Unfortunately, no. I was planning on grabbing dinner later. I was going to watch the movie and then eat something other than popcorn. I guess that jog I took earlier really carved out an appetite for me.” answered Adelina.

“Well, there’s only seven minutes until the movie starts. You won’t be able to grab dinner without missing the first fifteen minutes or so of the movie. Tell you what, after the movie is over I’ll take you back to my place and you can have some real food.”

“What, so you can poison me with your cooking and then do God knows what to my dead body?”

“Ouch, you say that as if I’m a horrendous cook. I’ll have you know that I’ve got Italian roots. You know what that means?”

“That everything you cook is on par with Gordon Ramsey’s cooking?”

“Nope. It means that my cooking is way better than that British loser.”

“I don’t think that simply being Italian automatically makes you a better chef than Gordon Ramsey. I mean come on, it’s Gordon freaking Ramsey! Also, that would mean that I could just pick up a random Italian from the street and keep him as my personal gourmet chef.”

“Number one, it’s not just being Italian that automatically makes me a better chef than Gordon Ramsey. It’s my natural God-given talent that makes sure that every single dish I cook is a slice of heaven. Number two, say you pick up this random Italian, as you said, off the streets. How would you keep him from leaving?”

“Why I’d bribe him with some hot sex, of course!”

At that, Damon burst out laughing. This woman had a muse that could rival his own. It was refreshing having such an interesting woman spend time with him. He even forgot for a while the bullshit that constantly plagued his life. It was temporary, but it was still greatly appreciated.

“So how about it? I promise you won’t die of food poisoning. Though you might possibly die from the heavenly experience you’re going to have should you choose to agree,” said Damon.

“As long as that’s only the food you’re referring to when you talk about heavenly experiences...I guess I can think it over while I’m watching the movie,” replied Adelina.

“That’s better than an outright refusal. I’ll take what I can get.”

“Why you’re not getting any, Mr. Salvatore.”

“Way to hit a man where it hurts, Ms. Howlett.”

Adelina laughed as she helped Damon spread out the large blanket on the soft grass. She seemed to do that a lot around him. It was ironic how a vampire could make her feel so relaxed and...happy? No, she couldn’t be happy. It wasn’t possible. She didn’t have it in her to be happy anymore. The sadness of the thought must have shown on her face because Damon was looking at her with what looked like concern. Adelina forced a smile and shook her head as if to signal that it wasn’t anything important. Damon didn’t look convinced but he chose to let it go, something that Adelina was grateful for.

“I didn’t get the chance to find out what movie they were going to show. Do you happen to know what movie it is that we’re going to be watching tonight?” asked Adelina.

“We’re watching Fifty Shades of Grey,” answered Damon.

Adelina just stared at Damon with an unimpressed look.

“Alright, you caught me. We’re not watching Fifty Shades of Grey. I think they were planning on showing Logan. Apparently, it’s a superhero movie from what I could gather. Have you watched the movie before?” 

“Nope. Have you?”

“Neither have I. I hope it’s at least a good movie. I’d rather not bore myself to death watching some less-than-mediocre film. Then again, that’s what I have you here for. I’d be hard-pressed to be able to claim boredom in such a lovely woman’s presence.”

Adelina blushed at the compliment. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it once she heard the sound that had started coming from the speakers hooked up to the projector, signalling that the movie was starting. Damon and Adelina both sat down together on the blanket with the bag of popcorn in between them. Adelina noticed his close proximity, breathing in the clean scent of his leather jacket as well as the scent of bourbon on his breath. The scents for some reason felt comforting to her, especially the bourbon on his breath. It reminded her of the days when her father would come home from work and sit down in front of the crackling fireplace with her with a glass of bourbon in hand while he told her stories from his adventures long before he met her mother. She didn’t realize a tear had escaped her eye until she felt Damon reach up and wipe it away with a stroke of his thumb. The sweetness of the gesture nearly caused her to tear up further.

“The movie hasn’t even started yet and you’re tearing up? Is everything okay, Adelina?” asked Damon.

“Oh, yeah everything is fine. I think I just got something in my eye,” replied Adelina, pretending to rub something out of her eye.

Damon wasn’t convinced. “Are you sure nothing is wrong?”

“Definitely. Seriously though, don’t worry about me. I’m perfectly fine. Now let’s watch the movie. Want some popcorn?”

Damon sighed and took Adelina’s offer as a hint that she wanted to watch the movie. Or more accurately, she wanted to drop the topic. Damon reluctantly accepted her offer and popped a handful of the buttery treat into his mouth as they both turned to face the projector screen. They both became completely engrossed in the movie. The movie was in fact a superhero movie, though it was a much more down-to-earth superhero movie. The story was centred around the mutant Logan, the once-powerful and ageless member of the X-Men known as the Wolverine, now aged and weary after his healing factor has lost most of its ability to heal him and keep him youthful. 

Adelina did not fail to see the irony in watching a movie where the movie’s protagonist was someone much like herself right down to their special abilities. Then again, her father had told her once about a time where he met a comic book writer in a dive bar back in the seventies. Apparently, the comic book writer had gotten so drunk that night that Cassian thought there was no harm in telling him his story. The comic book writer must have remembered the story in some way or another after that night because Cassian later ended up reading a comic with the main character being someone with his exact same powers and his last name. Adelina smiled at the fond memory of the story. The story was the reason that she had developed a keen interest in superhero comics in her childhood. Hell, her bed back in Golden had comics stuffed underneath it to the brim. It can’t hurt to have this one nostalgic moment. With that thought, Adelina watched the rest of the film with rapt fascination.

The movie finds an aged Logan having to escort a young female mutant of very few words with the same powers as himself to a sanctuary along the border of the United States and Canada in order to keep her safe from the evil corporation that created her in the first place. Logan later finds out that Laura, the young mutant, was created using his DNA. Therefore, Laura was in fact his daughter.

Adelina was in tears by the end of the movie. She had watched Laura hold Logan’s hand and cry as she watched her father die from his wounds. The movie ended with Laura and her young mutant allies heading off to safety on the other side of the border after giving Logan a burial, but not before Laura turned the makeshift cross made of sticks to form an X above Logan’s grave as if to honour Logan’s past as an X-Man. Adelina felt the tears stream down her face even harder when she realized why this movie had touched her so deeply. Just like Laura, Adelina watched her father die trying to save his daughter without being able to do a damn thing to save him. She felt as if she had been transported back to that horrible day. So much for having a painless moment of nostalgia.

Damon had been watching the film with keen interest as well. Even though the movie was definitely tragic, he hadn’t expected Adelina’s reaction to the end. He wasn’t sure whether it was his aversion to a crying woman or his concern for his new friend, but her tears put him in a serious amount of unease. He realized that this film must have torn at old wounds concerning the death of her father. Adelina noticed that Damon was watching her with concern and what was probably pity. That sobered her up and she quickly scrubbed at her eyes with the sleeves of her shirt.

“Sorry, I just...it’s just the movie kind of hit too close to home,” said Adelina.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I understand completely,” reassured Damon.  
The corner of Adelina’s mouth tugged up into the faintest smile. She hated being weak around people, especially people she hadn’t known for long. It was one of the reasons she had rarely if ever opened up to anyone. She opened her mouth to say something but before she could get a word out Damon’s cellphone rang. Damon pulled it out of his pocket and sighed once he looked at the name on the screen.

“It’s my brother’s girlfriend. It might be important. Do you mind excusing me for a moment?” asked Damon.

“Yeah, it’s totally cool. Go take your call. I’ll just go...freshen up,” answered Adelina.

Damon smiled gratefully as he answered the phone and walked off.

“What’s up, Elena? Steffy can’t satisfy you again? Wait, what do you mean he’s missing…”

Adelina perked up at the last sentence. Last she checked when an unstable vampire who was recently back on human blood was missing, people tended to die. A lot of people. At least that is what common logic would suggest. Adelina got to her feet and went looking for a washroom. She needed to wash her face, which was probably red from her crying. She would let Damon worry about his bloodthirsty brother for the moment. She ducked into a nearby store and used the washroom before she headed out to take a much-needed walk. She figured that Damon would probably need some time to himself to figure out where Stefan was.

Adelina started walking back to the bed-and-breakfast. She was passing by a thicket of trees when she felt something eerie settle at the bottom of her stomach. She turned back to the thicket and noticed the scent of blood in the air. Sure enough, as she walked closer to one of the trees she found a bloody handprint smeared to the trunk. Somebody’s hurt. They need help. The thought spurred Adelina into action as she entered the thicket. She used her sense of smell to lead her through the thicket by following the scent of blood. The smell seemed to get stronger and stronger. She was getting close. Suddenly, she heard a scream. A woman’s scream. Adelina broke out from her jog into a sprint. She found what she was looking for, a woman being sucked dry of her blood by...Stefan. Adelina snarled and ran towards the vampire, ripping him away from the woman’s bloody neck.

Adelina quickly helped the woman to her feet. “Go! Get out of here! Run as fast as you can and don’t look back!”

The woman only whimpered and fell to the ground, her eyes rolling back into her head as she did so. Adelina let out a frustrated groan. She must have passed out from the shock. Adelina was jolted from her thoughts when she heard a growl rip from Stefan’s throat. Adelina turned to see the familiar demonic red-rimmed black eyes and protruding veins staring back at her.

“Listen, I know it’s hard but you have to resist the urge to drink her blood. I don’t want to have to hurt you,” said Adelina in a low but steady voice.

Stefan just grinned, his fangs peeking out from his mouth. “You don’t want to hurt me? Oh, how sweet! The pathetic human thinks she can hurt a creature of the night. Well since you’ve interrupted my meal, it’s only fair you provide yourself as my next course.”

With that, Stefan lunged at Adelina. He buried his fangs into the soft skin of her neck, causing Adelina to let out a pained scream. He managed to take a few large gulps of Adelina’s blood before Adelina unsheathed her claws and stabbed Stefan in his gut. Stefan let out a roar as Adelina tackled him to the ground. They rolled around on the ground for what seemed like hours. Stefan managed to bite Adelina in a few places on her body, which only fuelled his bloodlust. Adelina kept stabbing at Stefan, trying to cause some damage without killing him. She didn’t want to leave Damon without a brother.

Adelina was quickly running out of steam after trying to defend herself while trying to take Stefan down in a non-lethal way. The blood loss she had suffered wasn’t helping her case either. Eventually, Stefan grew tired of Adelina’s weakened attempts to subdue him and just threw her against a tree with some serious force. She met the tree with her back and head. She groaned in pain as she struggled to keep her eyes open. Stefan stalked towards her at a slow yet chilling pace. Adelina braced herself for his next move, but it never came. She felt the whoosh of air as another vampire entered the scene, knocking Stefan off his feet. Her blurry vision cleared as she realized who had come to her rescue.

Damon felt the satisfying crunch of Stefan’s nose breaking from his fist. He pummeled Stefan before snapping his neck, causing Stefan’s body to go limp for what would hopefully be a few long hours. Damon quickly rushed over to Adelina’s side. He took in her bloody bite marks all over her neck and arms until his eyes settled on her bloody claws.

“What the fuck?” murmured Damon in shock.

Adelina noticed what he was looking at and sheathed her claws. Cat’s outta the bag now, she thought dryly.

“Damon…” she whispered, too weak from blood loss to speak any louder.

Damon gathered her up in his arms and made a move to get up until she stopped him and gestured to the unconscious woman and Stefan. Damon sighed and pulled out his phone. He scrolled down his caller ID list until he found a name. He dialled the number and waited for the other person to pick up.

“Hey, Alaric? Yeah, I found him. Can you bring your car to the thicket close to Mrs. Flowers’s bed-and-breakfast? He’s down for the count and his victim is still alive by the looks of it. I left my car back at the Boarding House so I can't bring them back there myself,” Damon said into the phone.

“Okay, I’ll be there in about ten minutes. I’ll just call Elena and tell her that you found Stefan. Sit tight, Damon,” replied Alaric.

Damon hung up and helped Adelina sit up on the ground. The smell of her sweet blood was tempting him to sink his fangs in her neck and finish the job Stefan had started, but Damon had more than enough control to restrain himself from doing so.

“I’d tell you that the things you saw tonight were probably new and unbelievable to you but something tells me that this isn’t the first time you’ve encountered the supernatural aspects of this world,” said Damon dryly.

“Gee, I wonder what gave it away,” retorted Adelina sarcastically.

“Now, now, no need for the attitude. Now that you know who I am, or more accurately what I am, I guess I can offer to heal you with my blood. You’ve lost a lot of blood, so I think you should agree.”

“As much as I hate to say this, but you’re right. I don’t need to go to the hospital and explain this. One more thing, I knew the entire time.”

“Knew what?”

“That you were a vampire. I could smell it on you.”

“Ugh, don’t tell me you’re a werewolf. I’ve had to deal with too much of their bullshit.”

“Nope, definitely not a werewolf.” At least I think I’m not. I mean, I’ve killed yet I’ve never turned on a full moon so…

“Alright then, if you’re not a werewolf then what are you? The real-life version of Wolverine?”

“I guess you could say that. By the way, how did you find us?”

“Let’s just say I had help from a not-so-friendly witch.”

“You mean Bonnie Bennett.”

“How do you know Bonnie? What else are you hiding from me?”

Their conversation was cut off with the rumble of an engine. Alaric had arrived. Damon got up and picked Adelina up in his arms before he carried her over to Alaric’s truck. He strapped her into the front passenger seat. A sandy-blond man climbed out of the driver’s seat and levelled Damon with a hard look.

“You didn’t tell me Stefan’s chew toy for the night was still conscious. She doesn’t look like she’s been compelled either,” said Alaric.

“She wasn’t the victim I was talking about. There’s an unconscious woman over there. I snapped Stefan’s neck so he’s unconscious as well. I need you to take the woman while I grab Stefan so we can toss them in the back of your truck and take them back to the Boarding House,” said Damon.

“What about the redhead?”

“What about her?”

“She’s awake, so you can compel her and then drop her off at the hospital so she can get her wounds tended to. Unless you’re planning on taking her back to the Boarding House as well?”

“Actually yes, I do plan on taking her to the Boarding House. Look, can you just help me out? I need to get Stefan locked up in the cellar before he wakes up and goes on a bloody rampage. So how about it?”

“Fine, but you owe me an explanation for why Stefan is drinking human blood.”

“Does it look like I know? You know what, just shut up and help me.”

Within ten minutes, Damon and Alaric had loaded Stefan and the unconscious woman into the back of Alaric’s truck. Adelina had fallen asleep out of exhaustion during the trip to the Boarding House. Once they arrived, Damon got out of the truck and went to wake up Adelina. It was no use, she was out like a light. Damon figured he should first get Stefan locked up and pumped full of vervain so he didn’t get loose and the other woman locked up as well so she didn’t go running off informing people of the existence of vampires. He’d compel her once she came to. Alaric carried the woman down to the cellar while Damon carried his brother down there as well. When they came back up the stairs after locking them up and pumping Stefan full of vervain, they found Elena waiting for them in the parlour.

“Damon, where is he?” demanded Elena.

“Sheesh, not even a ‘hello, how are you doing Damon?’ Well if you must know, Saint Stefan is now locked up and pumped full of vervain downstairs. And before you ask, no you can’t see him. He’s too dangerous to be around,” said Damon.

“I can take care of myself, Damon.”

“Oh, please. You’re a feeble human with no extra powers. You can’t defend yourself against a blood-addicted vampire who’s off the rails.”

“Fine. Who’s the girl in Alaric’s truck?”

“She’s a friend.”

“By friend, you must mean toy.”

“Actually no, she’s actually a new friend of mine who I haven’t screwed. Not for a lack of trying though.”

“Did the great Damon Salvatore admit that he failed to seduce someone into his bed? Someone needs to alert the media.”

“You’re hilarious, Elena. Alaric, make sure Elena stays away from the cellar. I don’t trust her to actually listen to me. I’ve got to help out my new friend.”

With that, Damon rushed out to the driveway and over to Alaric’s truck. He carefully cradled Adelina in his arms as he walked into the Boarding House. He ignored the stares he got from both Alaric and Elena as he walked up the stairs and to his room. Damon then gently lay Adelina down on his bed before he went to his ensuite bathroom to get a washcloth and a dish of warm water to clean the blood off Adelina’s body. When he returned to the room he found Adelina stirring. She opened her eyes groggily, still heavy from her short nap.

“Where are we?” asked Adelina, her voice thick from sleep.

“We’re at my place. Right now you’re in my room. Don’t worry, Stefan’s locked up and drugged up with vervain. He won’t hurt you again,” assured Damon.

“What about the woman? Did she wake up? Did you compel her already?”

“I see you know about compulsion. No, she didn’t wake up yet. I’ll compel her to forget what happened once she does. Now, do you still want my blood? I mean unless you plan on wearing full sleeves and a scarf in this hot summer weather to cover up those bites, I’d suggest taking some of my blood.”

“I guess I have no choice. I lost enough blood as it is. I’d rather not go get a blood transfusion from the hospital. Wait, I guess drinking your blood would be a transfusion of sorts.”

“Glad to see you still got your humour. Well, let’s get this over with.”

Damon’s face changed into its vampire visage. Using his fangs, he bit down on his wrist and held it out for Adelina to latch on to. Adelina did so and took a few gulps of his blood before she felt her wounds on her neck and arms closing up. She also felt more energized, which she guessed was from the vampire blood replenishing her own supply. Adelina was surprised to find that vampire blood tasted so good. It was hard to tear herself away from Damon’s wrist but she managed to do so anyway. But not before she took a few more long draughts of the elixir that was Damon’s blood. When she looked up at Damon, she realized his pupils were blown wide with undisguised lust. Adelina realized that her feeding on his blood had caused the reaction. Adelina watched as Damon composed himself and his face went back to its human appearance. She felt awkward as they both sat on his bed in silence. Finally, she spoke up.

“Um, thanks for saving me. I didn’t want to have to kill your brother. I was trying to take him down without doing so, but it backfired on me until you showed up,” said Adelina.

“How did you know he was my brother? I never showed you a picture of Stefan,” wondered Damon.

“I saw Stefan and Elena earlier today in the high school parking lot. I overheard them talking about you. Stefan referred to you as his brother. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together from that.”

“Okay, so that explains that. Oh by the way, how do you know who Bonnie is?”

“Um, my mother knew one of her family members.”

“Why do I get the feeling that there’s more to the story than that?”

“Because there is. But I’m not in the mood to divulge any more information. Do you still have the clothes I left here last time? I’d like to change but preferably after I take a hot shower and wash all this blood off of me.”

Damon sighed but reluctantly nodded. He grabbed the clothes that Adelina had left the last time she was at the Boarding House and handed them to her before leaving her to shower. He went downstairs and poured himself a stiff drink. Alaric had already helped himself to a glass of scotch while Elena was simply sitting down on one of the worn sofas and bouncing her foot up and down impatiently. Damon sighed at the sight of Elena still being there.

“Look Elena, I’m not letting you see him tonight. He’s out like a light as it is and I don’t need you waiting here all night for him to wake up. Just go home and I’ll call you to update you on how he’s doing once he comes to,” said Damon.

Elena sighed. “Fine, but I’m holding you to that promise. Be sure you call me and let me know how he’s doing.”

“You got it, sweet cheeks. Now scoot, you got school tomorrow. Oh wait, tomorrow’s a Saturday. Whatever just go home.”

Elena left and that meant that Alaric and Damon were now alone in the parlour. Damon sat down across from Alaric and drank the rest of his drink in one go. Alaric simply stared at him, which only got on Damon’s nerves.

“Out with it,” he said.

“What do you mean?” asked Alaric.

“You clearly got something to say. So why don’t you just come out and say it?”

“Alright then. What gives? I thought you were keeping an eye on Stefan. How the hell did this happen?”

“Okay listen, I was in fact monitoring Stefan. I’ve been doing it for weeks now. So when he said he was going to do a date night with Elena I thought he was more than stable enough to do so. He must have gotten better at masking his instability because he had me completely fooled. I’m not sure if Elena knew how bad of a state he’s in, but if she did then I can guarantee you she won’t be unsupervised around him for a long while. Seems like I can’t trust anyone these days.”

“Hey, you can always trust me to lead you down the right path. So don’t lump me in with the rest of them. How did you find Stefan by the way?”

“I called Bonnie and asked her to do a tracking spell. She may hate me, but even she doesn’t want Stefan going on a killing spree. So she cooperated and did the spell with some blood I gave her the last time we were in trouble.”

“That’s smart. What are you going to do about Stefan? We don’t know when Klaus might be back. All we know is that he’s not done with us, and if we want to be able to face him we’ll need Stefan in complete control of himself. We can’t afford to lose him again to Klaus as his partner-in-crime.”

“You think I don’t know that? I know I haven’t been the best brother in the world for more than a lifetime, but I’m still his older brother. I’ll never make up for the way I’ve treated him for the past century and a half but I can try. Right now, he needs my help even if he doesn’t want it.”

Alaric just stared at Damon in shock. He couldn’t believe his ears. Was the selfish and vengeful Damon Salvatore admitting that he did indeed care for his brother? It appeared to be so. The only person who everyone knew he cared about was Elena, but that was because it was obvious as hell that he was head over heels for her. Even if he never admitted it out loud to him, Alaric knew it to be the truth. And so did everyone else with eyes in their face, including Elena. Damon’s unrequited love for Elena only further strained his relationship with his brother. It seemed as though the brothers were cursed to share their love for the same woman, and it also seemed that it was always Damon who was the one left to pine after her.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you admit that you actually care for Stefan. It seems like you’re always at each other’s throats for one reason or the other. To hear you actually say it...it’s definitely not something the Damon Salvatore I know would admit to. Anything new I should know about that caused this revelation,” said Alaric.

“It isn’t a revelation. I already knew I cared for my brother. It’s more of a change in attitude,” clarified Damon.

“Alright, what caused this change in attitude then?”

“Let’s say I had advice given to me from a fresh new perspective. It was pretty wise advice, to tell you the truth.”

“And what exactly was the advice from this fresh new perspective?”

“Now that, my friend, is for me to know and you to dot, dot, dot.”

“Fine then, be that way. How about you tell me why you haven’t compelled and sent her on her way.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“The redhead obviously!”

“Well, that redhead has a name. Before you ask, her name is Adelina. And no, I didn’t feel the need to compel her because first of all I know her and second of all she apparently already knows about all the supernatural stuff. No sense in wasting my energy compelling her about something she isn’t going to cry wolf about.”

“What’s she doing in your room? Warming your bed for later?”

“You’re hilarious. No, she’s taking a shower to wash all the blood off herself. I gave her some of my blood earlier so she should be completely healed up. Now if you’ll excuse me Ric I gotta cook up some heaven on a plate and prove a certain lady wrong. I’ll make sure she eats whatever I cook and her words from earlier tonight.”

“What about the woman downstairs in the cellar. She’s probably come to by now. If you compel her now I can drop her off wherever it is she lives and I can head home to grade all those my students’ tests in time for Monday.”

“Fine. If it gets you out of my hair faster then I’m all in.”

“Oh, shut up.”

Sure enough, the woman had come to and was understandably frazzled from her violent encounter with Stefan. Damon compelled her to tell him her address and forget everything that had happened within the last few hours the minute she got home. Alaric left with the woman in tow, leaving Damon to get started on dinner.

Adelina took longer than she usually would in the shower. The day had been full of surprises for her and she was ready for it to end. The feeling of reinvigoration she had gotten from Damon’s blood had worn off so she was ready to curl up in bed and drift off to sleep. Finishing up her shower, she pulled on her washed clothes that she left there the last time she came over and left her bloodstained clothes in the washroom to be dealt with later. Adelina then headed down the stairs to be greeted with the mouthwatering aroma of homecooked food. She followed the scent to the kitchen where she found a certain vampire in a ‘kiss-the-cook’ apron, stirring what smelled like a big pot of spaghetti sauce. Damon turned around to face her and smiled. He then set up two plates with spaghetti on the kitchen counter. Adelina’s stomach growled with a hunger she didn’t know she had.

“You didn’t have to do this, Damon,” said Adelina.

“I wanted to. Plus, I believe I have to prove to a certain someone that my cooking is loads better than Gordon Ramsay’s cooking,” replied Damon.

Adelina smirked. “How am I supposed to know whether or not your cooking is better than Gordon Ramsay’s if I’ve never tasted his food?”

“You know, I don’t think I particularly like you anymore.”

“Good. That means I’m doing something right.”

Adelina moved to sit down and tuck in, but Damon stopped her. Adelina looked up at him in confusion. Damon simply smirked.

“Is there something you wanted, Mr. Salvatore?” asked Adelina.

“I didn’t wear this apron for nothing. And if you’re going to be mean, I think you should make it up to me by doing what the apron says,” answered Damon with an even wider smirk.

Adelina just rolled her eyes in annoyance. Then a small smirk tugged at her lips as she got an idea. She walked over to Damon and curled her arms around his neck, looking up at him with a mischievous look on her face.

Adelina brought her mouth close to his ear and whispered, “So all I have to do to get my dinner is kiss you? Is that it?”

Damon nodded, his smirk still in place. “Ding, ding! We have a winner.”

Adelina let a purposefully drawn-out sigh escape her. Damon closed his eyes in anticipation of the kiss. Adelina then moved her lips closer and closer to his, just so he could feel her warm breath on his face. Then she turned and gave a smacking wet kiss to his cheek before grabbing her plate of spaghetti and heading to the dining room she passed by earlier. Damon’s eyes shot open in surprise before he grabbed his plate of food and stalked off after the mischievous redhead. He found her seated and already eating her food. She looked up at him with an innocent look on her face.

“You are such a little tease,” grumbled Damon as he sat down beside Adelina.

“Who, little ole me? I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mr. Salvatore,” replied Adelina with a small smirk.

“Sure you don’t, Ms. Howlett. Well, how’s the spaghetti? Heaven, right?”

“It was...fair.”

“Fair? Are you serious? There is no way that was just fair. That has to be the best pasta you’ve ever tasted!”

“Alright, I’m just fucking with you. It’s easily one of the top two plates of pasta I’ve ever eaten. Does that satisfy you, Mr. Salvatore?”

“At least you’re being honest. I have to ask though, whose pasta am I competing against in terms of deliciousness?”

“My mother’s. But you’ll probably think that’s my own personal bias talking.”

Damon could’ve sworn that Adelina’s voice had taken a tone of wistfulness as she mentioned her mother. But before he could say anything about it her voice had returned to its usual tone. So Damon decided to leave it alone. They ate in silence until their plates had been cleared. Adelina then took her plate as well as Damon’s plate to the kitchen to wash. Before she could even get started on washing the dishes Damon tugged them out of her grasp.

“What are you doing?” asked Damon.

“What does it look like, genius? I’m washing the dishes. Well, I was about to until you snatched the plates from me. What gives?” replied Adelina.

“I’m not letting you wash dishes at my house. You’re my guest and guests don’t wash dishes. Plus, you were just a snack for my baby brother about an hour ago. You should be resting.”

Adelina rolled her eyes. “Your blood did the trick in healing me completely. Also, it’s only two plates. In my opinion, it’s only fair if I clean after you did all the cooking.”

“I’m not budging on this so you might as well just forget about it. I’ll take care of the dishes later.”

“Fine. If you’re going to be a stubborn old man about it I’ll just leave you to it. Thanks for dinner, by the way.”

“Hold on, where do you think you’re going? I still need an explanation as to who and what you are exactly. Oh, and I’d like to know how you know Bonnie Bennett.”

“I already told you, my mother knew one of her family members.”

“Yeah, you said that earlier but I know there’s more to the story than that. Something I’ve learned about supernatural folks appearing in this town is that they rarely come here without an agenda of some sort. So are you going to cooperate or am I going to have to compel you to get you to start talking?”

Adelina’s temper flared at Damon’s threat. “Who do you think you are trying to force me to talk to you about matters that don’t concern you in the slightest? One more thing, if I’m a supernatural creature don’t you think the chances of me being vulnerable to compulsion are little to none? Dumbass.”

Damon sighed.”Look, I just want to know that you aren’t going to be a threat to this town. Especially for the people that I care about.”

“Damon, you need to know is that I’m not here to hurt anyone. I’m just a girl who is trying to find her mother. That is all I’m here for.”

Damon visibly relaxed, which relaxed Adelina as well. They stood in silence for a few moments before Damon spoke.

“I’m sorry for threatening to compel you. That was too far. Forgive me?” apologized Damon.

“It’s cool. I get where you’re coming from. I wouldn’t want anyone coming after my loved ones either. Not that I have many of those wandering around,” Adelina said, mumbling the last part.

Damon heard her mumbling clearly thanks to his vampire hearing. His eyes softened in sympathy. For the longest time, he hadn’t had many people to love and care for either. He hadn’t wanted them either. Caring about people meant that he had to open himself up to being more vulnerable. Caring about people had meant that he had weaknesses. Damon hated the idea of being weak. That was until he met Elena and realized that what made her so strong was her love for others in her life. His admiration and love for her didn’t make him weak. No, it made him better. His love for her turned him into a selfless and softer-yet-stronger man. Damon only hoped that Adelina didn’t believe what he once did about love making people weak.

“Well, it’s getting late. I ought to get going,” said Adelina.

“You don’t have your car here. How do you plan on getting to the bed-and-breakfast?” asked Damon.

“I’ll be walking there. I don’t mind the exercise.”

“Did you forget about how you became my brother’s chew toy tonight? There is no way you’re walking at night in a town that is just a supernatural hub.”

“I can take care of myself, Damon.”

“That doesn’t explain why Stefan had you this close to being his first dead victim of the night.”

“Look Damon, the only reason why I was close to death this time was that I wasn’t trying to kill Stefan. If any other vampire tries to make a meal out of me, they definitely won’t make it with their undead life spared.”

“Okay, I believe that you can defend yourself. But just for my peace of mind, I’m going to drive you back to the bed-and-breakfast. And don’t you dare refuse because I’ll just throw you over my shoulder and throw you in my car if you do.”

Adelina sighed. “Has anyone ever told you that you are extremely annoying?”

Damon smirked. “I may have heard that once or twice in my long undead life.”

“I don’t have a choice, do I?”

“Nope.”

“Fine. But for fuck’s sake wipe that goddamn smirk off your face!”

Damon’s smirk only widened as they headed out of the Boarding House and into Damon’s car. They made it to the bed-and-breakfast in less than ten minutes. Adelina said goodbye to Damon and made her way into the building and up to her room. She quickly changed into her pajamas and jumped into bed, exhausted from her day.

Adelina woke up late the next day. For once she didn’t have any fitful dreams or visions. It was relieving yet unsettling at the same time. It was 1:30 PM when she woke up. Adelina remembered that she had a meeting with Bonnie at 5 PM. It was still quite a while until she had to meet up with Bonnie, so she grabbed her sketchbook as well as some pencils and colouring pencils and went downstairs to eat some lunch that Mrs. Flowers had kindly prepared for her. Adelina then hopped into her car and drove to the trail leading to the falls. She had loved it the last time she was here, and she found herself feeling relaxed by the sound of water running and birds chirping. 

Adelina sat herself down by a tree and opened her sketchbook to start sketching the natural beauty surrounding her. She lost track of time as she immersed herself in her sketching. By the time she was finished, she realized it was probably time for her to get to Bonnie’s place. Adelina hurried back to her car and saw that it was quarter to five. Using the directions and address she got from Bonnie the day before, she made it to Bonnie’s house with three minutes to spare. Adelina knocked on the door and waited until Bonnie opened it.

“Hey, you’re here early,” said Bonnie after opening the door and ushering Adelina inside.

“Sorry, I thought I was going to be late but I ended up with some time to spare. You don’t mind, do you?” replied Adelina.

“Not at all. Let’s get down to business. Come upstairs with me. I have everything set up in my room.”

Bonnie lead Adelina to her room. Adelina looked around noticed the pictures lining the walls. One picture caught Adelina’s attention. It was a picture of Bonnie with Elena and a blonde girl. Bonnie noticed where Adelina’s attention had drifted to.

“Those are my friends, Elena and Caroline. Elena’s the brunette and Caroline is the blonde. They’re actually my best friends if I’m going to be completely honest. We grew up together,” said Bonnie.

“Does Elena happen to have a twin sister?”

“No. Why would do you ask?”

“Because when I was headed to Mystic Falls I bumped into her vampire lookalike in Atlanta.”

Bonnie paled. “You saw Katherine? That’s Elena’s doppelganger by the way.”

“Doppelganger?”

“Yeah. Apparently, there’s been three doppelgangers. One of them is Elena. Elena is a descendant of Katherine. Look, I’ll explain later. Let’s just get down to what you came here for first.”

Bonnie held out her hand and held a knife in the other. Adelina remembered that Bonnie needed her blood to be able to track where her mother was. So she placed her hand in Bonnie’s free one. As soon as their skin touched, however, Bonnie dropped her hand as if she had been shocked. Her eyes were wide and staring at Adelina in surprise.

“What’s wrong?” asked Adelina.

“Why are you asking me to do this spell?” asked Bonnie.

“What do you mean? You know I can’t do it myself.”

“Yes, you can. It’s in your blood.”

“Bonnie, what are you talking about?”

“You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“That you’re a witch.”

And there we have it! Do leave a review so I can get inspired to get the next chapter out faster. Remember, reviews are love! Stay safe everyone and wear a mask!


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Adelina looked at Bonnie with shock and disbelief written all over her face. She blinked sporadically for a few moments before she was able to compose herself enough to speak.

“What...what are you talking about? I can’t be a witch!” exclaimed Adelina.

“I don’t know how I didn’t realize it sooner. No regular person can have visions the way you apparently do. Have you ever tried it?” Bonnie asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean have you tried to practice magic in any sort of way?”

“Look, if I didn’t know I was a witch in the first place what makes you think I’d even try to practice magic at all?”

“You may be right, but is there a possibility that you could’ve used magic by accident at any point?”

Adelina thought hard about it, then started to speak again. “I...yes. Yes, I think you’re right. I think there was a time I may have used magic.”

“When did it happen?”

“It happened not too long before I came to Mystic Falls. You don’t know this about me but I have other special...gifts other than apparently being a witch.”

“What kind of gifts are you talking about?”

“You ever hear about the comic book superhero Wolverine?”

“Yeah, what about him?”   
  


“Well, I have the same powers as him with a few differences.”

Bonnie blinked slowly. “You mean, you have claws?”

“That and enhanced hearing, sight, smell, strength, and healing. Though the healing is still pretty slow compared to what it will be once I grow into my full potential. The same goes for my strength. Oh, and I can kind of communicate with animals.”

Bonnie let out a small smirk. “What, like Dr. Dolittle?”

Adelina rolled her eyes. “Kind of, but not exactly. It’s more like I can get inside their heads and converse with them. I can even control them for a little while if I’m feeling strong enough at times.”

“I can’t lie, that’s pretty cool. Where did you get your powers from? Is it hereditary or just a stroke of luck?”

“I got it from my dad. He had the same powers as I did. He told me when I was young that his powers were a blessing bestowed upon him before he was born by a shaman from his mother’s tribe due to something his father did that helped the tribe.”

“So your grandfather helped out your grandmother’s tribe in some way that caused them to bless your grandmother while she was carrying your father in her womb? He must have done something pretty major to have given such a powerful blessing.”

“Yeah, it was. You see, my grandfather was a mixture of British and French blood. He fell in love with my grandmother who was an Indigenous woman that happened to be the daughter of the chief of the Innu tribe. However, either person’s family approved of their love. One day, my grandfather overheard plans to murder the chief of the Innu tribe as he wasn't cooperating with treaty negotiations. He tried to warn the chief through the chief’s daughter but he wouldn’t hear any of it because he believed it was a ploy by my grandfather to win his trust and his daughter’s hand. Sure enough, my grandfather ended up saving the chief at the last minute from the settlers that were about to kill him. The chief and his tribe had felt grateful and indebted to him, so they allowed him to marry the chief’s daughter. A few months after they married, they ended up expecting a child. That child was my father. The chief was overjoyed to know he was expecting a grandchild. He sent a shaman to bless the unborn child with a major blessing. That blessing turned out to be the powers I told you about.”

“This all sounds like it happened a long time ago. When did this happen exactly.”

“My father was born in 1869, so around that time.”

Bonnie’s eyes widened. “Wait, if your father was born in 1869 then how old are you really?”

“I’m only 18, but you know that already. I forgot to tell you, the healing ability I have is supposed to be fully developed around my early to mid-twenties. This power allowed my father to live a long youthful life up until his untimely death.”

“How did your father die? I don’t understand how he could’ve died if everything you say is true.”

Adelina went silent for a moment. Then she spoke with a strained voice. “He died because of a weakness to a certain herb. And before you ask, no it wasn’t vervain that he had a weakness for. The vampires responsible for his death came to know of my father’s weakness and used it against him. You see, this herb caused his healing to slow to that of a regular human’s healing speed. As long as the herb was in his system, he was weak. This gave the vampires enough advantage to kill him.”

Bonnie looked at Adelina with sympathy. “I’m sorry. No one deserves to go through that. Certainly not a child of only 10 years of age.”

Adelina sighed. “Anyway, back to where I was going with this. A month or so before I arrived in Mystic Falls, I decided to take a page out of the comic books and get my claws covered in metal. I thought it would make them much deadlier weapons than what I was initially working with. So I went to a neighbouring town close to my hometown and broke into their metal works plant. I ended up welding melted metal to my claws but it was the most excruciating physical pain you could imagine. I didn’t know how I survived the process, as my healing factor is still not fully developed. But I did somehow survive. Not only that, but I felt a surge of power flowing through my body in the process. I didn’t know at the time what that surge of power was, but it was as if it made my life force strong enough to keep me from dying or possibly inflicting lasting damage on myself. I don’t know how I was able to do that without any previous practice but I’m guessing it was a reflexive action I executed to protect myself. Too bad it never came out years back when I really needed it.”

“Are you sure that you haven’t had any other experiences with using magic?”

“Yes. The only other experiences I’ve had outside of that are my visions. I don’t get it though, don’t I have to be descended from witches to actually be a witch?”

“Yes, you’re right. Either your mother or father is or was a witch. Do you think you know who’s the witch?”

“Well, it can’t be my dad because he would’ve been able to save himself if he was. That leaves my mom. But why would she hide this kind of information from me?”

“I don’t know. Maybe she was trying to protect you.”

“But that doesn’t make sense. I already knew she was a werewolf-vampire hybrid. So what could she possibly have been protecting me from by keeping that part of herself from me?”

“Maybe she didn’t want you to practice magic yourself. She must’ve known that if you knew about her being a witch then you would question whether or not you were a witch as well. The supernatural world is full of pain and suffering. The last thing she probably wanted was a supernatural life for you.”

“She should’ve known that being born to supernatural parents the chances of me having anything but a supernatural life were about one to a million. She would have spared me the illusion that I would have anything other than that.”

Bonnie didn’t know what to say to that. She just stood there for a moment with Adelina before clearing her throat and gesturing for Adelina to hold out her hand. Adelina held out her hand and gritted her teeth as she felt the sharp pinch of Bonnie’s knife digging into her palm. Adelina watched as her blood pooled in the centre of her palm before holding her hand over the small bowl Bonnie had on her desk for this task. Adelina squeezed her hand into a closed fist to get as much of her blood as she could into the bowl. Bonnie then handed Adelina some gauze to wrap her bleeding wound with. As Adelina tended to her wound, Bonnie rummaged around until she found a world map which she then unfurled on top of her desk. She picked up a matchbox and lit some of the candles on her desk.

“Ready?” asked Bonnie.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” murmured Adelina.

Bonnie nodded. “Then let’s not waste any more time.”

Bonnie started to chant incantations of some sort as she poured the contents of the bowl onto the map. The candles on the desk glowed brighter as their flames seemed to dance wildly, casting shadows all over the otherwise dimly lit room. Adelina felt as if her heart was about to beat out of her chest at the sheer amazement of being in the presence of such powerful magic. She could also feel the energy flowing through Bonnie as she channelled her powers into the blood on the map. However, as the moments passed by, the blood remained motionless in the centre of the map.

Adelina looked confused. “I’ve never seen this type of spell performed before, or any type of spell really, but isn’t there supposed to be something else happening other than the candles glowing brighter?”

Bonnie looked pensive. “This usually doesn’t happen...unless…”

“Unless what?”

“Well…”

“Bonnie, just spit it out!”

“Okay, this only happens if the person we are trying to track is not connected to the blood in any way or if the person is dead.”

“So you’re saying because my mother is undead we can’t track her?”

“No, Adelina, I’m not saying that all. I wouldn’t have bothered with the tracking spell if I couldn’t track the undead.”

“Then what  _ are  _ you trying to say?”

A beat of silence passed between them.

“I think you know what I mean,” Bonnie said softly.

Adelina’s eyes hardened. “That’s not possible. She can’t be dead.”   
  


“Look, I know it’s hard to accept…”

“No! You don’t understand! She can’t be dead. She’s the oldest being to walk the planet. If she was able to die she would’ve found a way to die centuries ago.”

Bonnie’s eyes darted to the growing light from the dancing flames of her candles. Bonnie wasn’t currently casting any spells, which meant the flames were burning stronger due to Adelina’s anger.

“Adelina, you need to calm down,” Bonnie said slowly.

“Don’t tell me to calm down! How can my mother be dead if I keep having visions of her? She’s not dead! She can’t be dead!” Adelina said as her voice grew in volume along with the candlelight.

“Adelina! If you don’t calm down you’ll burn down the house! Please, take a deep breath and relax.”

Adelina’s eyes darted to the rapidly melting candles and blinked as she realized that Bonnie was right. She couldn’t risk burning down the home of someone who was only trying to help her. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. She took a few deep breaths before she sighed and opened her eyes again. Bonnie looked at her warily, which Adelina couldn’t blame her for as she almost caused a serious accident that would’ve endangered and possibly ended both of their lives.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have reacted so strongly. It’s just...you can’t be right. I don’t want to discredit you or your powers but if my mother were dead I would feel it in my bones. I know it sounds hard to believe, but you have to trust me on this,” Adelina said with confidence.

“I understand your reaction, I really do, but don’t you think if your mother were alive that she would’ve come back by now. Especially after your father died all those years ago?” asked Bonnie.

“Not if she thought she was protecting me. Also, I don’t think she knows about my father’s death at all. For all I know, she probably thinks that I’m safe with him still.”

“Okay, that would explain why she hasn’t returned after all these years. What that doesn’t explain though is why I can’t track her.”

Adelina thought about what Bonnie pointed out for a moment before answering. “What if she accounted for the possibility of either my dad or me tracking her by using a witch? She most definitely wouldn’t have wanted that, so she would have cloaked herself using a spell. That’s possible right?”

Bonnie looked pensive for a moment before nodding slowly. “Yes, cloaking spells are possible. But the more powerful a supernatural being is, the more power it takes to cast and maintain a cloaking spell for them. That must mean your mother is either in touch with a powerful witch or coven of witches,  _ or _ she is an extremely powerful witch herself as well as a vampire-werewolf hybrid.”

“Well, we already know that my mother is in fact a witch. How powerful of a witch she is yet to be determined. Does this mean you believe me?”

“I may not be entirely sure yet, but I have to say the chances of her being alive seem to be a bit more likely than I initially thought. I don’t know how I can help you, though.”

“Wait, you said yesterday that you were going to try to contact the spirits of deceased witches. Did you manage to be able to do that?”

“Oh shoot, you’re right. I did say that. I completely forgot about that. We can try that right now if you want to?”

“Alright then. Can I help in any sort of way?”

“Actually yes, you can help me since you have the blood of a witch. Contacting spirits isn’t an easy task. It can be draining and dangerous, especially if malevolent spirits try to cause harm to the conduit. I’ll have to be the conduit as I have more experience with such spells. But I could use your help to ward off any malevolent spirits who may try to cross over into my body. Channelling your energy will also help me retain enough energy to contact a witch while concentrating on finding the right spirit to serve as a conduit for.”

“How will you channel my energy? Do I have to do anything special?”

“All you have to do is open up a spiritual connection from yourself to me and maintain it for as long as we need. If you need to draw on my energy you can do that as well since the connection will go two ways once I open myself up to receive your energy. That way we should both be balanced enough to contact a witch while warding off any malevolent spirits that may try to enter my body.”

“I’ve never intentionally practiced magic before. Are you sure I’m up for this?”

Bonnie smiled.”From what I can sense, you’re a powerful witch. You may be inexperienced, but you have the strength to do anything you set your mind to. If you aren’t feeling up to the task though then I understand.”

“No, that’s alright. If you think I can do this then that’s all the reassurance I need.”

Bonnie nodded as she lit a few more candles around her room before she sat down cross-legged on her bed. She beckoned Adelina to come forward and take a seat in front of her on the bed as well. Adelina did as she was gestured to do before Bonnie reached out and gently grasped Adelina’s hands in her own. Bonnie closed her eyes and started to chant a spell. Adelina closed her own eyes and imagined herself channelling and combining her energy with Bonnie’s own energy. The candles in the room leapt at the connection and burned intensely as Bonnie’s chants became louder and more hurried. Suddenly, they both opened their eyes. Adelina’s eyes remained the same whereas Bonnie’s had a glazed quality to them. They sat in silence for a few moments before “Bonnie” spoke.

“Greetings, child,” said “Bonnie”.

“Who are you? Where is Bonnie?” asked Adelina.

“My descendant is visiting the Other Side at the moment. I am Marie Bennett. I am a friend of your mother’s.”

“I saw you in a vision with her. You were trying to help her with some sort of curse.”

“Yes, but that was almost a century back. My time in this world came to an end a long time ago. Why is it that you summon me here?”

“I need help. I need to find my mother. You knew her. Do you know where she is or how I could find her?”

“No, I do not know where she is. All I know is that she can’t be dead otherwise she would’ve turned up on the Other Side.”

“Do you know how I could possibly find her?”

“Do not commence a task you cannot finish, child. Zoriayah is where she needs to be. Do not look to disturb her. It will end badly should you not heed my warning.”

“What are you talking about? She’s in pain, I can feel it in every vision I have of her! Please, I need to find her!”

“I must go now. The cursed one draws close. She mustn’t reach this vessel. Farewell, young one.”

“Wait, don’t go!”

Adelina’s plea fell on deaf ears as the deceased Bennett witch left Bonnie’s body and allowed Bonnie to take control again. Adelina put her face in her hands as she let out a groan of frustration. Just when she thought she was getting somewhere a witch had to tell her to call off her quest to find Zoriayah. She wasn’t about to listen though. Zoriayah may have covered her tracks well but it didn’t mean that Adelina couldn’t be just as clever in finding her. She’d just have to dig deeper and leave no stone unturned in her quest to find her mother.

Bonnie brought Adelina out of the turmoil that was currently her mind at the moment by gently prying Adelina’s hands away from her face.

“I’m sorry you didn’t get the information you needed. Maybe it’s best for you to do what my ancestor said and forget about this. Chances are that this quest of yours to find Zoriayah will only bring you more pain,” said Bonnie soothingly.

Adelina shook her head. “I don’t think it’s possible for me to go through more pain than I have already gone through all these years. No, I won’t stop. She’s my mother and I have to help her with whatever curse it is that she is suffering from. I’m not turning my back on the only family I have left.”

Bonnie sighed in acceptance. “Alright then. I can’t stop you from doing whatever it is you feel is right. But if you’re going to be able to track her down you’re going to have to work on your magic. You did well channelling your energy today, but it’s going to take more than just that for you to survive in the supernatural world let alone get anything accomplished in it.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“I suggest you allow me to teach you some of the basics in controlling and harnessing your powers. Uncontrolled magic is very dangerous. I don’t know how you survived all those years by yourself without hurting yourself or others with your magic. It would be negligent of me to not guide you. If you learn the basics, I could also help you with more complicated spells and whatnot.”

“You’d really do that?”

“Of course. I’m a witch and witches help their own. So is that a yes for the lessons?”

Adelina smiled. “Yes, I suppose it is. Thank you for your help today. And I’m sorry once again for almost burning your house down.”

“It’s cool. I suggest we start lessons tomorrow. I think today was stimulating enough for your mind. You need a clear head to practice magic, so I suggest you get some rest to clear your head tonight. We’ll meet tomorrow at the same time as we did today. Does that sound good?”

“Yeah, that sounds perfect to me. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“I’ll walk you out to your car.”

Adelina walked out of the house with Bonnie before getting into her car and starting it up. She waved goodbye to Bonnie as she pulled out of her driveway. Adelina knew she should have headed straight to the bed-and-breakfast so she could rest as Bonnie told her to, but she didn’t quite want to turn in at the moment. So she drove around aimlessly until she found herself in front of the Mystic Grill.  _ I guess I’m really craving a drink right now,  _ she thought as she parked her car and entered the establishment.

The place seemed as crowded as it always was. But Adelina supposed that was to be expected for a successful small-town establishment such as this. Adelina sat down at the bar and ordered bourbon. It was, after all, her favourite alcoholic drink. The bartender got her drink to her at an impressive speed considering how many other patrons were there. Adelina downed her bourbon in one gulp before she ordered another. She was waiting for her second drink when she noticed two familiar scents in the air. She turned around in her barstool and saw Damon and Elena walking into the Grill before sitting down at a table. Damon felt her eyes on them so he turned to stare right back at Adelina. He smiled and beckoned for her to come to join him and Elena. Adelina simply shook her head and turned back to face the bourbon that was now sitting in front of her. After the revelations or lack of, She downed the drink just as fast as she did with the first when she felt someone tap her on her shoulder. She turned around to see Damon smirking at her.

Adelina sighed. “Need something, Damon?”

“What, don’t I get a ‘hello’? Ouch. I thought we were closer than that.” said Damon with a mock pout.

Adelina bit back a smile. “Sorry. Let me restart. Hello, Damon. How was your day?”

“Not bad actually. I’m babysitting my brother’s girlfriend right now. Speaking of my brother, I should be asking  _ you  _ how you’re doing after Stefan almost made a whole meal out of you last night. How are you anyway?”

“I’m fine. Your blood healed me up pretty nicely. Thanks for that by the way. You didn’t have to do that. I would’ve been fine with some first aid.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s the least I could do after you decided not to kill my brother. Which I’m more than confident you’d be capable of doing, considering you’re not exactly human. Isn’t it ironic that I find out you’re the real-life version of Wolverine right after watching an X-Men film with Wolverine as the protagonist?”

“The universe has a funny sense of humour, I guess. By the way, why are you ‘babysitting’ your brother’s girlfriend as you put it? Isn’t she old enough to take care of herself?”

Damon rolled his eyes. “You’d think that, wouldn’t you? Let’s just say Elena has a bit of a...how do I say this...suicidal tendency.”

“What do you mean? She’s depressed?”

“Ah, no. A better way to explain is that she has a martyr complex. She likes to put herself in danger in order to help the ones she loves.”

“So she’s selfless. That’s not too bad. Minus the part about her putting herself in harm’s way. Does it happen often?”

“You mean her putting herself in danger? Yeah, it does. Especially since she seems to be a magnet for supernatural trouble.”

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing Elena has two vampire bodyguards to keep her safe from herself and whatever supernatural threat comes her way. Or just the one vampire bodyguard anyway, since the other one is a bit...unstable at the moment. How is Stefan anyway?”

“He’s as good as he can be considering he’s chained up and drugged with vervain in my basement. I’ll have to keep him down there until all the human blood he consumed is out of his system.”

“Wait, didn’t he only feed on me and that other woman? He should’ve been completely detoxed by now.”

“You’d be right, but it turns out he didn’t just have you and that other woman to snack on. He raided my stash of blood before going after that woman. And when I talk about my stash I mean enough blood to keep me going for months. Maybe even enough for a year.”

“You mean he drained your stash and he still wasn’t satisfied? Talk about bloodthirsty. Has he done this before?”

“Yeah, he’s fallen off the wagon a few times over the past few decades. He just can’t seem to control his bloodlust. It’s why he usually feeds off of animals.”

“He feeds on animals? Vampires can do that? I thought you guys could only feed on human blood.”

“Vampires can feed off animal blood. But it comes at a price.”

“What kind of price?”

“A vampire can drink animal blood but it means that he’ll have weaker powers. That means less strength, slower speed, weaker eyesight and hearing, weaker compulsion, and weaker control over bloodlust. Vampires who feed on animal blood have to feed more frequently to sate their hunger. For most vampires, it’s not worth it to even consider this ‘vegetarian’ lifestyle.”

“Makes sense. No use in depriving your undead body of what it needs.”

“Exactly. Anyway, why don’t you come join us at our table? No use in drinking alone. My usual drinking buddy is busy marking history papers.”

“Will Elena mind? I wouldn’t want to make her uncomfortable. I mean to her I’m a total stranger.”

“Nah, Elena doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. Well, most of the time anyway. She’ll probably be relieved since you coming to sit with us means she won’t have to be alone with me.”

“Alright then. Let me just pay for my drinks and then I’ll join you.”

Damon returned to his table while Adelina paid for her drinks before walking to the table he and Elena were sitting at. Damon got up and pulled out a chair for Adelina to sit in. Elena looked at them with a curious look on her face.

“You’re the girl from yesterday, right? You’re Damon’s new...friend?” asked Elena.

Adelina nodded. “I guess so, yeah.”

Elena looked at Damon with narrowed eyes. Damon simply rolled his own eyes.

“Elena, I explained this to you yesterday. We aren’t sleeping together,” said Damon.

Adelina blinked. “...Um, he’s right. We’re not sleeping together in any sense of the term.”

“Thanks for making it awkward, Elena. Anyway, Adelina, meet Elena Gilbert. Elena, this is Adelina Howlett.”

Adelina gave a small wave. “Hi there.”

“Hello. I’m sorry for making it awkward earlier. It’s just that Damon doesn’t really do friends. The only friends he’s ever admitted to having in all the time I’ve known him are me and Alaric. And he denied the latter for the longest while, too,” Elena explained.

“I guess that makes me special,” Adelina joked.

Elena smiled and looked at Damon after hearing Adelina’s words. “Yeah, I guess it does.”

Damon cleared his throat. “You ladies must be hungry. Shall we order?”

Adelina nodded. “Yeah, I’m pretty starved. I’ve had a long day. Let’s order some dinner before my stomach decides to burn a hole in itself from the acid buildup.”

Damon laughed and signalled for a waitress to come over and take their orders. Once their food was ordered, Elena got up to go use the washroom. That left Damon and Adelina sitting alone at the table. They sat there quietly for a minute or two before Damon spoke.

“So how’s your day been? It must have been less than stellar if you were set on drinking alone tonight,” he said.

“What if I’m just the type to drink alone?” countered Adelina.

“That could be true, and it probably is, to be honest, but I think there’s something more to it than just that.”

Adelina sighed. “Stupid nosy vampire.”

“I’m right, aren’t I?”

“Yes, you are, unfortunately.”

“What happened?”

“I encountered my first major roadblock in the process of trying to find my mother.”

“What do you mean?”

“I went over to Bonnie’s place today. She’s been helping me out with tracking down my mother. Or at least trying to. Anyway, the tracking spell she performed didn’t work. She contacted an ancestor of hers that was friends with my mother. The ancestor outright refused to cooperate, saying that my mother is where she needs to be. Oh, did I forget to mention that I found today that I’m a witch? Turns out my mother didn’t think it was important for me to know about my lineage. Bonnie said that she probably hid it from me to protect me. Which is stupid considering my mother doesn’t only have ‘witch’ in her repertoire of supernatural labels.”

“Wow, you really needed to get that out. Wait, your mom isn’t just a witch?”

“Nope. She’s also a vampire-werewolf hybrid. Oh, and she’s the oldest being on the planet.”

Damon blinked. “Hold on a second, she’s a  _ hybrid _ ? I thought that Klaus was the only hybrid, and he hasn't even figured out how to create his own. How is your mother also a witch then? How can she have a child if she’s part-vampire? How old is she exactly? And what does that make you?”

“Wow, that’s a lot of questions. Bonnie told me about Klaus Mikaelson supposedly being the oldest being on the planet. But she told me that he was only about 1000 years old, whereas my mother is around 2000 years old. As for her being a witch, I never even knew about Mama being a witch until today when Bonnie told me that I am one myself. I don’t know how she gave birth to me as a hybrid but I assume her werewolf aspect has something to do with it. As for what I am exactly...I’m not completely sure myself. All I know is that I have my father’s powers and features as well as the blood of a witch. As for my werewolf aspect, I’m not sure I even have one. I’ve killed once and I’ve been told that if I have to trigger my werewolf side that is what I have to do. I do feel this strange pull to the moon whenever it’s full, and I also feel stronger during those times, but that just might be the witch in me that’s reactive to that. I guess I’m going to have to figure out a supernatural label to give myself, huh?”

Damon opened his mouth to say something but at that point, Elena had returned from the washroom. He figured Adelina wouldn’t want to discuss her problems in front of Elena so he refrained from asking any other further questions regarding her history and her mother. Elena looked back and forth between the other two people at the table. Clearly, they had been talking about something of significant importance before she interrupted them. At least, that’s what Elena could tell by looking at their faces.

“Did I interrupt anything?” asked Elena, even though she knew she probably did.

“No, we were just catching up on some stuff,” Adelina lied.

Damon took the hint from Adelina as confirmation that she didn’t want to spill anything to Elena about herself or her history. Well, mostly she just didn’t want to disclose too much information about her motives for being in Mystic Falls. At least, not before she knew Elena a bit better and could trust her.

Their food arrived a few moments later. Adelina tried to pace herself with her food as she didn’t want to look like a savage, but damn was it hard! She had eaten only a small amount of the lunch Mrs. Flowers had prepared for her earlier in the afternoon, and she had a really bad tendency to overlook her body’s needs until they absolutely needed to be fulfilled. Sometimes she would even overlook them past that point as well. Adelina wasn’t exactly the best at taking care of herself.

“So Adelina, how did you and Damon meet?” asked Elena, wanting to know more about the redhead that had somehow managed to become a part of Damon’s ever-so-tiny list of friends.

“We met here at the bar a few days ago,” answered Adelina.

“Really? And how did you get him to call you his friend after only a few days?”

“I honestly don’t know. I was minding my own business and enjoying my liquor when he sat down at the bar and proceeded to be what I would discover as his regular cocky self. He even propositioned me, but then again, he probably does that with anyone who has a vagina. I turned him down, obviously. I wasn’t about to sleep with a total stranger, especially one that could drain me dry in two seconds flat.”

“Wait, you knew he was a vampire? Right from the beginning? How?”

Adelina winced. She’d revealed a tiny bit too much.

“Let’s just say I’m an observant person. Been that way my whole life,” answered Adelina cryptically.

“I could’ve used that when Stefan and Damon rolled into town. Would’ve saved me a lot of stress and grief,” joked Elena.

“Perhaps, but while some of us can be lucky enough to be blissfully free of the knowledge of the supernatural world and live in a reality of peace and ignorance, some of us are born to face a different reality. A reality where we don’t experience that peace and ignorance. At least, for the few who do get to experience it, we don’t experience it for long.”

“You make it sound like we’re cursed or something. You don’t really believe that, do you?” interjected Damon with a snort.

“Aren’t we, though?” asked Adelina with a wistful smile. “There may be a certain thrill to this reality, a feeling that the possibilities are endless. For some, it may mean they are special, or powerful, or even immortal. But it all comes at a price. That price is the peace of your soul, or the blood you inevitably spill, or the loved ones you lose, or the loss of purpose in your life, or the feeling of being completely and utterly alone, and so on. It can be any or all of them. The ones destined for this life are lucky if they never have to live the mirage of a peaceful one, as they don’t have to mourn the inevitable loss of that blissful illusion of peace. You know, just like the saying, ‘you can’t miss what you never had’. Or at least I think it goes like that. Anyway, for those who do have the misfortune of getting a taste of that peace while they are bound to the supernatural world, they will chase it forever like a heroin addict looking for their next fix. They’ll chase it and if they’re lucky, or unlucky enough in my opinion, they may get it for a little while. But will it last? You’re a damn fool if you think it will.”

The table was silent for a few moments as Adelina’s bleak words sank into their minds. Adelina waited for them to object, or to laugh off the bitterness of her perception of their reality. It didn’t come.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. I didn’t mean to depress you with my ramblings of hopelessness. I’ll just shut up now,” Adelina apologized with a sigh.

“Nah, you don’t have to do that. We’re used to this kind of stuff. I mean, Elena is dating my brother who happens to be the embodiment of broody and depressing. And obviously, since he’s my brother I’ve been on the receiving end of that rather large part of his personality for most of my existence. Compared to Stefan, you’re just oozing sunshine and rainbows,” said Damon with a smirk.

“Damon!” griped a glaring Elena with a smack to the vampire’s chest.

“Oh come on, Elena! You know it’s true!”

“Doesn’t mean you have to disparage Stefan like that when he can’t even be here to defend himself!”

“Alright, I’ll be sure to do it next time in front of him. How’s that?”

Elena rolled her eyes. “You’re hopeless.”

“Aw, you don’t really mean that, do ya?” Damon asked with a mock pout.

Elena sighed but couldn’t fight off the small smile creeping onto her lips. “Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. I guess you’ll never know.”

“You say that as if you believe you are impervious to my nifty ability to compel the truth out of you.”

“As a matter of fact, I do believe that. Why? Because I’ve got this nifty locket right here that is filled with vervain. Oh, and let’s not forget to mention that I have that same vervain in my system that my loving and protective boyfriend has supplied me with. And come on, you and I both know you won’t compel me.”

“And why is that?”

“You know the reason.”

Damon and Elena’s playful banter had turned into something intense. Adelina watched their locked gaze. She felt as if she was witnessing something far too personal for her to be allowed to see. For some inexplicable reason unbeknownst to Adelina, that knowledge stung her.

Adelina cleared her throat and threw down some money to cover the cost of her meal. “Thanks for inviting me to dinner, Damon. It was a pleasure. It was also nice meeting you, Elena. I’ve got an important day tomorrow, so I think I’ll head out now.”

Damon blinked, breaking his and Elena’s eye contact. Before Adelina could walk even two feet from the table, Damon grasped her wrist in a gentle yet firm grip. Adelina turned to face him and looked at him with a silent question on her face.

“Let me walk you out to your car,” Damon offered.

“Alright then,” said Adelina.

Damon looked at Elena with an expression that told her to stay put. Elena nodded in silent response. He followed Adelina out of the restaurant and out to her car. Adelina went to open the door to her car, but then turned and faced Damon. She regarded him with a wistful smile.

“What?” asked Damon.

“You love her, don’t you?”

“Pardon?”

“Elena. You love her.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Call it a hunch. Or a spark of intuition.”

Damon sighed. “You’re mighty perceptive, aren’t you?”

“Perhaps.”

“Anything else you know about me that I should be aware of?”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

“Fine, be that way.”

“It must suck.”

“What must suck?”

“Being in love with someone who loves someone else.”

“What do you know about that?”

Adelina shrugged. “I don’t know much. Honestly, I probably don’t know anything. I’ve never been in love.”

“Never?”

“Never.”

“I don’t know whether to call you lucky or unlucky for not having that experience.”

“Actually, I think I’d consider it one of the very few ways, if not the only way, that I’m lucky. One less weakness. One less inevitable loss.”

“I can’t argue with that logic.”

They stared at each other in silence for a long moment.

“I better go. As I said, I have an important day tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, Adelina.”

“Goodnight, Damon.”

With that, Adelina climbed into her car and drove off. Damon watched as the Mustang disappeared in the distance, feeling a strange pang in his undead heart.


End file.
